California's Senate Bill 1048 — which would, if enacted, establish a climate literacy seal "to recognize high school graduates who have demonstrated mastery in climate literacy disciplines and attained green skills or technical green skills" — passed the Senate unanimously, on a 37-0 vote, on May 19, 2026.
Climate literacy is defined in the bill as "an understanding of the essential principles of the earth's climate system, assessing scientifically credible climate information, learning to communicate about the climate in a meaningful manner, and making informed and responsible decisions regarding actions that may affect the climate."
As introduced, the bill specified two criteria for awarding the seal. As amended by the Senate Education Committee, however, the bill requires the state superintendent of public instruction to develop and recommend criteria to the state board of education for its approval. But the superintendent is encouraged to consider the original two criteria.
Senate Bill 1048 is substantially similar to Colorado's Senate Bill 14 of 2024, which was signed into law on May 23, 2024, as NCSE previously reported. Since then, the legislatures of Hawaii and Minnesota have also considered similar climate literacy measures, although none passed, and Maine's department of education introduced a seal of climate literacy.
The bill was introduced on February 12, 2026, by Josh Becker (D-District 13), with coauthors Lena A. Gonzalez (D-District 33) and Assemblymember Robert Garcia (D-District 50), with the endorsement of Ten Strands, the California State PTA, and UnDauntedK12. It is now awaiting committee assignment in the Assembly.
