Ran for President of the United States making the climate crisis his number one priority, and led an effort to support the Biden-Harris campaign, bringing in over $17 million through Climate Leaders for Biden, while co-chairing the campaign’s Climate Engagement Advisory Council.

Worked to make California the largest jurisdiction in the world with 100% clean energy. Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 100 into law in 2018, committing the state to sourcing all clean energy by 2045.

Sponsored the U.S. Climate Action Center in Bonn, Germany at COP23 in 2017, and in Katowice, Poland at COP24 in 2018, to show the world that despite the current occupant of the Oval Office, the United States is “still in” the Paris Climate Agreement.

Advocated against Trump’s DOI plan to open virtually all US oceans to offshore drilling, and held rallies, sent letters, and sponsored billboards to hold California Republican members of Congress who support offshore drilling accountable. Helped enact laws to stop offshore drilling along California’s coast.

Sponsored the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS) in San Francisco and convened climate-related activities and forums in conjunction with the summit.

Advocated to remove EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt due to his mounting scandals and misuse of authority.

Tom lobbied heavily and provided expert policy support to help ensure passage of bills which extend California’s cap-and-trade system through 2030 and implement strong new community air pollution protections (AB 398 and SB 617).

Advocated against the Trump Administration’s efforts to weaken clean car standards by rolling back key CAFE provisions.

Tom helped to stop the construction of a new natural gas plant in an environmentally burdened coastal community with a large population of people of color and immigrants (Puente Power Plant in Oxnard, California).

Advocated against the Trump Administration’s exit from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Advocated against efforts to open up coastal waters and the Arctic for oil and gas development.

Tom partnered with expert analysts to produce studies showing significant environmental justice and health impacts from power plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

In Michigan, Tom worked with civil rights activist Van Jones, actor Mark Ruffalo, actress Antonique Smith, and local activists to call for action on the Flint water crisis.

Tom provided expert analysis to the United States Department of Interior showing significant stranded asset risk and climate incompatibility of continuing the Federal Coal Leasing Program with no plan to a managed transition to a clean energy economy.

NextGen launched a “50 by 30” campaign for clean energy and called on presidential candidates to provide plans for accomplishing this goal.

In 2015 and 2016, Tom supported local activists in opposition to the construction of a coal export terminal Oakland, CA, ultimately succeeding in persuading the City of Oakland to enact a law stopping the project.

Tom founded NextGen Climate America, which later became NextGen Policy – an organization that works to advance policies and programs to prevent climate disaster, address income inequality, promote economic prosperity, and protect the fundamental rights of every American.

Tom joined with former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to publish the Risky Business report, which examined the massive economic cost of the climate crisis in the country.

Tom founded NextGen Climate, which later became NextGen America, with the mission to act politically to prevent climate disaster. NextGen America is now the largest youth voter mobilization organization in history, and in 2019, it helped flip Virginia.

Tom opposed the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline and lobbied President Obama to veto its construction.

Tom “almost single-handedly” financed Prop 39, which closed a corporate tax loophole to put $1.7 billion in California schools for clean energy and energy efficiency projects.

Tom and Kat made a gift of $25 million to help launch an Energy Sciences Institute at Yale University. The institute brings together physicists, chemists, geologists, biologists, and engineers to develop solutions to the world’s energy challenges.

Tom led a successful campaign against Prop 23, an effort by out of state oil companies to kill California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 . By protecting this vital law, Tom helped ensure that polluters pay for the damage they do to our climate and communities. Funds from this program now support clean energy efforts throughout California.

Founded, along with his wife, Kat Taylor, the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, which is housed at Stanford Law School and Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, and brings together the best minds from both disciplines to advance the development, financing, management, and regulation of the clean energy technology sector.

Founded, along with his wife, Kat Taylor, the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy to harness the skills and creativity of Stanford University’s leading science, technology, and policy experts to transform the world’s energy systems for a sustainable future.