--- title: Donald Trump: Jerry Brown Vows to Fight on Climate Change description: California Gov. Jerry Brown said that his state would fight Trump on climate change if he attempts to ditch policies tacking the issue. canonical: https://time.com/4603482/jerry-brown-donald-trump-climate-change/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-15T16:25:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:22.032Z article:section: Politics og:title: Gov. Jerry Brown Vows to Fight Donald Trump on Climate Change og:description: "California will launch its own damn satellite," the governor quipped og:url: https://time.com/4603482/jerry-brown-donald-trump-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf2f0eba6cd8701b/6988b3148fd2ee918f3552fb/jerry-brown-climate-change-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3424 og:image:height: 1926 og:image:alt: jerry brown climate change donald trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Gov. Jerry Brown Vows to Fight Donald Trump on Climate Change twitter:description: "California will launch its own damn satellite," the governor quipped twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbf2f0eba6cd8701b/6988b3148fd2ee918f3552fb/jerry-brown-climate-change-donald-trump.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Gov. Jerry Brown Vows to Fight Donald Trump on Climate Change: 'California Will Launch Its Own Damn Satellite' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=542edacc-f655-42b2-b143-39ef5dcce971&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change [Watch (HLS stream): A Trump Presidency and the Future of Climate Change](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/U3bhooK6.m3u8) (2:27)  _Published 2016-11-15. Donald Trump has repeatedly indicated that environmentalism is not his priority. Now, Climate scientists, policymakers and diplomats are questioning how his presidency will shape the future of climate change policy._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 15, 2016 4:25 PM UTC  California Governor Jerry Brown delivers remarks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. California Governor Jerry Brown delivers remarks on the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center, July 27, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Dec 15, 2016 4:25 PM UTC [California Governor Jerry Brown ](http://time.com/4352131/california-primary-jerry-brown-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-endorsement/)said Wednesday that his state would fight [President-elect Donald Trump](http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2016-donald-trump/) on climate change if the new administration tries to ditch policies that combat global warming—even quipping that California could go as far as launching “its own damn satellite.” Brown, speaking before the [annual meeting](http://time.com/4603264/donald-trump-sally-jewell-science/?xid=tcoshare) of American Geophysical Union in San Fransisco, said Trump’s election had brought a “miasma of nonsense” to political issues, particularly climate change, according to a Los Angeles _Times_ [report](http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-we-re-ready-to-fight-says-gov-jerry-1481739836-htmlstory.html). In response, Brown promised to enlist California’s resources to challenge Trump. “We’ve got the scientists, we’ve got the lawyers and we’re ready to fight,” he said during his speech. Environmental policy experts say Trump’s election thrust state governments into an increasingly important role in the fight against climate change. The President-elect has selected a number of cabinet officials who question the science of global warming, including former Texas Governor Rick Perry as Energy Secretary and Oklahoma Attorney General [Scott Pruitt](http://time.com/4594238/donald-trump-scott-pruitt-epa/) as EPA Administrator, and has promised to roll back many of the energy regulations implemented under President Obama. Scientists have also [grown alarmed](http://time.com/4564224/donald-trump-climate-chan…) in recent weeks as Trump’s transition team has shown signs the new administration may try to undermine scientists employed by the federal government. A survey sent to the Department of Energy asked for the names of employees who worked on climate issues and attended United Nations climate conferences. A transition official also indicated that Trump might try to eliminate NASA’s Earth sciences department. Brown directly confronted concerns over the incoming administration hampering science, saying California would pick up the slack. “If Trump turns off the satellites, California will launch its own damn satellite,” said Brown, recalling the Governor Moonbeam [nickname](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/10/why-jerry-brown-is-called-moonbeam.html) he earned in the 1970s thanks to his push for a state satellite. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax. It'll get cooler, it'll get warmer. It's called weather. Now that he's President- elect, here's what at stake for the future of the environment. Thank you. Paris Agreement which was negotiated last year and came into effect just a few weeks ago was a monumental step for addressing climate change. And setting a path forward for the coming decades to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Donald Trump has promised to cancel the Paris agreement, or at the very least, renegotiate it. Stop all payments of the United States tax dollars to UN Global Warming Programs. He does not have the authority to cancel it. It's an agreement with more than 190 countries. He also doesn't have the power to withdraw from it. Immediately at least, it would take at least three years to go through those processes. He does have the power to ignore it. It's unlikely that other countries will feel comfortable making big reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions, if the United States is not taking the lead. Another policy at stake is Obama's clean power plan. [ APPLAUSE ] Single most important step America has ever taken in the fight against global Climate change. Trump has said that he would cancel it. Environmental Protection, what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations. He has the authority to do that. He could direct the EPA to eliminate the clean power plan. We'll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can't destroy businesses He will definitely if he does face litigation from environmental groups that will argue that it's the EPA's role to do that. It's a long winding process. And certainly not something that he's going to be able to accomplish in his first 100 days. Environmentalists are trying to remain Optimistic and looking at a lot of the market trends that have resulted in the reduction in coal power and other greenhouse gas emissions. A lot of it is outside of the realm of regulation. But also trying to stay optimistic about the Paris agreement. Some of them say even if Donald Trump Withdraws, they are confident that other countries will step up to the plate. I'm 16 years old from Mwanza, Tanzania. Looking forward, there's a lot of things that Trump can do to slow progress on climate change, but many of the trends he doesn't have control over. So there is reason for optimism if you're looking in the long- term. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4603482/jerry-brown-donald-trump-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4603482/jerry-brown-donald-trump-climate-change/"},"headline":"Gov. 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