Tougher Than Kyoto: California Climate Legislation

August 27, 2006 – Vol.11 No.23

TOUGHER THAN KYOTO: CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION SET TO CUT STATE’S CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL WARMING.

In an interview with the BBC this week, John Holdren, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, said that the world’s climate is changing much faster than predicted: A dangerous human disruption of the global climate is already being experienced and more should be expected. More heat waves, wild fires, floods and a sea level rise of 13 feet (4 meters) by the end of this century were in the realm of possibility, he said.

So, is the Global Warming Solutions Act passed by the California Legislature and set to be signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger too little too late? Possibly, but it’s a groundbreaking step other states, even nations, will be looking at.

Certainly the measure isn’t made to save the planet, only reduce the state’s contribution of greenhouse gas emissions by a fraction. However, the overall thrust of the bill could lead to a major shift in terms of emissions from all industries world wide if the agenda in the bill is followed.

The bill is clearly seeking market and technology-based solutions but forces industry to bring down the state’s emissions of global warming gases to 1990 levels by 2020, about a 25 percent reduction. (Compared with doing nothing, business as usual.) The bill is strict in setting a regulations process in motion but leaves the door open to find real solutions to reduce global warming emissions.

For instance not only is carbon dioxide targeted but other greenhouse gases including methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons. perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluorides as well. Industry may work on getting the other gases under control as well as carbon dioxide in their efforts to cut emissions.

The bill also asks the adoption of a cap and trade system but it isn’t mandatory.

(A cap and trade system is an avoidance mechanism for polluters, not a direct emission-cutting solution. Polluters can avoid making direct cuts themselves by trading their problems away to others who know how to make the cuts.)

The bill calls for mandatory monitoring of emissions from industries including electric power generation. The bill even says that electric power sourced outside the state will be scrutinized for greenhouse gas emissions.

(A separate bill, also set to be signed by the governor, requires power generators, when selling long-term contracts to California utilities, to meet greenhouse gas emission standards. This bill will make it tough for out-of-state generators with coal-fired powerplants to sell electricity in California.)

The bill includes a back-up mechanism for the state’s already-in-place measure to reduce greenhouse gases from vehicles. If for some reason the existing law to cut greenhouse gas emissions for cars and trucks by 2009 does not remain in effect, the state can implement alternative regulations to control equivalent or greater reductions as set in this bill.

What could change the direction of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the bill’s emphasis on technology to do it. The bill creates the probability of funding for clean technologies in a state that is already a leader. After all, the title of the bill includes the word Solutions, that means to do just that - find solutions.

California is already a technology rich, technology savvy state. The wizards of Silicon Valley, for instance, changed the world with computer and Internet technology. Can that same wizardry develop technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions to legislated levels and perhaps beyond? It’s very possible.

For a copy of the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) visit http://www.legislature.ca.gov/