--- title: Al Gore and Jerry Brown On Climate Change and Clean Energy description: TIME speaks with leaders who are sounding alarms about the environment canonical: https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/ author: Katy Steinmetz article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-29T10:00:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:13:03.473Z article:section: Science og:title: Al Gore and Jerry Brown on America’s Renewable Future og:description: TIME speaks with leaders who are sounding alarms about the environment og:url: https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4950d1b40f0fdb4d/6988db99656a3f0d7cbd178f/renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Al Gore and Jerry Brown on America’s Renewable Future twitter:description: TIME speaks with leaders who are sounding alarms about the environment twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4950d1b40f0fdb4d/6988db99656a3f0d7cbd178f/renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Al Gore and Jerry Brown on America’s Renewable Future > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Future Proof: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Future Proof is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Making sense of the climate and energy economy. Future Proof examines the forces transforming energy and climate, and what those changes mean for business, technology, policy and the global economy. Senior correspondent Justin Worland goes beyond traditional climate coverage to connect the energy transition to the bigger decisions reshaping companies, markets and society. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=1a9444b4-e217-48c5-b0cb-07bc5ce49f8c&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Friday (1x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Justin Worland, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Senior leaders shaping the climate transition. An engaged audience of executives and decision-makers spanning operating companies, finance, policy, consulting, communications and media. ### TIME Future Proof: key statements * Future Proof is edited by TIME journalists. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Aug 29, 2017 10:00 AM UTC  This aerial photo shows wind power stations next to a solar fields on Aug. 04, 2017 in Bernsdorf, Germany. This aerial photo shows wind power stations next to a solar fields on Aug. 04, 2017 in Bernsdorf, Germany. Florian Gaertner—Photothe/Getty Images by [Katy Steinmetz](https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/) ## Katy Steinmetz Aug 29, 2017 10:00 AM UTC Cities and states around the U.S. are vowing to fight climate change, using President Trump’s decision to [leave the Paris accords](http://time.com/4802845/how-president-trump-decided-to-exit-the-paris-agreement/) to galvanize their movement. Many climate policy experts say there is promise in a bottom-up approach, with sub-national governments leading charges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spur innovation in clean energy regardless of what might be materializing on the national stage. Dozens of American cities have pledged to use 100% renewable energy by 2050 or earlier. But the most ambitious goal may be coming from California. Lawmakers in the state, which is home to one in eight Americans, are considering legislation that would require all of the state’s power to come from sources such as wind and solar by 2045\. “It’s about the world,” California Gov. Jerry Brown said at a [recent signing ceremony](http://time.com/4871996/california-cap-trade-bill-signing-brown-schwarzenegger/) for another climate bill, “and California is leading that world in dealing with a principal existential threat humanity faces.” TIME spoke with Brown, as well as environmental crusader Al Gore, about what’s happening in energy now and how it might shape America’s future. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/"},"headline":"Al Gore and Jerry Brown on America’s Renewable Future","datePublished":"2017-08-29T10:00:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T11:13:03.473Z","description":"TIME speaks with leaders who are sounding alarms about the environment","url":"https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/","keywords":["energy","Environment","climate change","Jerry Brown","Al Gore"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4950d1b40f0fdb4d/6988db99656a3f0d7cbd178f/renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katy Steinmetz","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/katy-steinmetz/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4950d1b40f0fdb4d/6988db99656a3f0d7cbd178f/renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"renewable-energy-wind-turbine-al-gore-jerry-brown.jpg","caption":"This aerial photo shows wind power stations next to a solar fields on Aug. 04, 2017 in Bernsdorf, Germany.","creditText":"Florian Gaertner—Photothe/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/energy/","name":"energy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4919529/al-gore-jerry-brown-climate-change/","name":"Al Gore and Jerry Brown on America’s Renewable Future"}}]}] ```