How Is California Government Responding to Climate Change?
Key Resources
California government has made major strides recently in seeking to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions. The state's Energy Action Plan recognizes that energy conservation and efficiency helps to minimize the need for new generation, reduces toxic air pollutants and lowers California's emissions of greenhouse gases.
In November 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger teamed up with the governors of Washington and Oregon on the Western Governors' Global Warming Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the region.
In December 2004, the governor signed Executive Order S-20-04 and issued a Green Building Action Plan (40 kb, PDF) requiring increased energy efficiency for state-owned buildings and encouraging local governments and private businesses to reduce their energy use.
Legislature
- Senate Bills 527 (63 kb, PDF) and 1771 (40 kb, PDF), authored by Senator Byron Sher and finalized in 2001, led to the creation of the California Climate Action Registry.
- Assembly Bill 1493 (26 kb, PDF), authored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley and signed into law in 2002, directs the California Air Resources Board to develop regulations to achieve maximum feasible cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from new gasoline cars and light duty trucks vehicles, beginning in 2009.
- Senate Bill 1078 (39 kb, PDF), authored by Senator Byron Sher and signed into law in 2002, set a renewables portfolio standard mandating that California's investor-owned utilities acquire 20% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2017, essentially doubling those utilities' use of renewables. In late 2004, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the state's largest municipal utility, committed to the same standard for its power mix.
State Agencies
- California Public Utilities Commission is working to identify best practices for all CPUC-regulated companies (electric, natural gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first public meeting was held February 23, 2005.
- California Energy Commission coordinates state activities addressing climate change. It supports reduced emissions through numerous programs dealing with energy issues. Its Energy Efficiency Program contributes to greenhouse gas reductions through promotion of energy efficiency in building standards, agriculture, manufacturing, water systems, and processing functions.
- California Air Resources Board promotes the use of clean alternative technologies such as hybrid electric vehicles, battery-powered electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. All of these technologies are energy-efficient, low-emission alternatives to conventional petroleum-fueled internal combustion vehicles. Consequently, they provide significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.
- California Department of Food and Agriculture is developing carbon sequestration strategies and greenhouse gas reduction strategies for agriculture, promoting energy and water use efficiency in agriculture, biological control measures, and support for biofuels development.
- California Integrated Waste Management Board is addressing climate change issues through recycling programs, which avoid emissions from the energy-intensive processing of virgin raw materials; through sustainable building activities, which emphasize energy, water, and materials efficiency thereby reducing emissions from their production and transport; and through landfill gas collection, which directly uses landfill greenhouse gas emissions for fuel.
Cities and Counties
- City governments such as Berkeley, Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco and the counties of Marin and San Diego have committed to significant energy efficiency measures, which help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Read about some of California's energy efficiency leaders.
- The non-profit International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)'s Cities for Climate Protection Campaign encourages cities worldwide to monitor and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. More than 25 California cities, including Sacramento and Sonoma, have taken ICLEI's pledge to monitor and reduce global warming emissions. For more information, visit www.iclei.org.
Cities Commit to Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions | |
---|---|
Chula Vista | 20% below 1990 levels by 2010 |
San Francisco | 20% below 1990 levels by 2012 |
Oakland | 15% below 1990 levels by 2010 |
Berkeley | 15% below 1990 levels by 2010 |
San Jose | 10% below 1990 levels by 2010 |
Los Angeles | 30% below 1990 levels by 2010 (for municipal operations) |
(Climate Change and California, California Energy Commission, Final Staff Report, Publication # 100-03-017F, p. 19.)