The climate crisis won’t wait for California’s budget to recover. Vote yes on Prop. 4 | Opinion

Faced with a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers were forced to make some tough decisions this year. As a result, they’re cutting more than $9 billion from climate solutions across California, walking back investments in everything from sustainable agriculture to clean drinking water, wildfire preparedness and renewable energy.

Unfortunately, for Californians, the climate crisis won’t wait for our state budget to recover.

That’s why it’s critical that we pass Proposition 4, the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024, this November.

Prop. 4 is a $10 billion bond to invest in clean air and water, solutions to extreme heat, wildfire readiness, climate-friendly agriculture and more. It may be the best chance California has in the next few years to make sorely needed investments in proven climate solutions.

Opinion

Climate action is literally a matter of life or death. Right now, it’s easy to see why: This summer saw consecutive weeks of record-breaking temperatures are putting farm workers and other outdoor workers at risk and straining the electrical grid. State officials repeatedly issued extreme heat warnings for most of the state. Tragically, climate change-fueled heat extremes are already responsible for dozens of deaths in California this year.

This latest heat wave is a signal of what’s ahead if California kicks the can down the road on climate: higher temperatures threatening public health while increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires and drought.

Prop. 4 will provide stable funding to ensure that Californians are prepared for worsening impacts from extreme climate events. This opportunity comes at a critical time, as state officials warn of an ongoing budget deficit for years to come. With climate impacts already at our doorstep, the investments we fail to make today will cost exponentially more in the future. In fact, the World Meteorological Association estimates that failing to act on climate today could cost the world $1,266 trillion over the rest of the century.

Prop. 4 funds programs that will save lives and money, including: reducing wildfire risk through home-hardening and forest management; helping farmers incorporate sustainable agricultural practices that make our farms and food systems more resilient to drought; planting trees and expanding parks in cities to combat the deadly urban heat island effect; restoring coastal ecosystems that buffer against sea-level rise and storm surges; and ensuring all Californians have access to clean, safe drinking water.

Critically, Prop. 4 will advance California’s commitment to climate justice by adhering to the Justice40 principle, meaning 40% of the funds will go to front-line communities who are hit hardest by extreme heat, air pollution and climate disasters.

California has a reputation for climate leadership and some of the most ambitious goals in the world, including nation-leading new targets for nature-based climate solutions. But our intentions mean little without investment to back them up. Case in point: A recent analysis found that California must invest much more in climate adaptation and resilience, especially for our most vulnerable communities. To make that happen, we need Prop. 4.

Prop. 4 is supported by hundreds of scientists, labor unions, medical professionals and environmental organizations. Please vote yes this November. Heat waves, wildfires and other disasters aren’t letting up, so neither can California.

Ellie Cohen is the CEO of The Climate Center , a climate and energy policy nonprofit working to rapidly reduce climate pollution at scale, starting in California.