California's Senate Bill 1048 — which will establish a climate literacy seal "to recognize high school graduates who have demonstrated mastery in climate literacy disciplines, green skills or technical green skills, and any and all other best practices for climate literacy" — was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on September 29, 2026, according to a press release from his office.
California thus becomes the third state to have a climate literacy seal program, following Colorado (where the legislature enacted a similar bill in 2024, as NCSE previously reported) and Maine (where the department of education introduced a seal of climate literacy in 2026, as NCSE previously reported).
Climate literacy is defined in the new law 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."
The state education commissioner (a new appointed post) will recommend criteria for awarding the seal to the state board of education by the end of 2027; the board will adopt those criteria, or a revised version, by the end of January 2029. It will then be up to local educational agencies to decide whether to offer the seal.
Senate Bill 1048's main sponsor was Josh Becker (D-District 13), who explained in the governor's press release, "Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and we have a responsibility to equip the next generation of climate leaders with the tools they need to meet it." The bill was endorsed by Ten Strands, UndauntedK12, the California State PTA, and Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action.
