Image by Thawatchai ChawongOPINION – As the legislature begins deliberations on cap-and-trade reauthorization, two questions are paramount: Has the cap-and-trade program accomplished its initial goals, and what should be its goals going forward?
Offshore wind power and energy farm with many wind turbines on the ocean. Image by NiseriNOPINION – This summer, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) faces a pivotal choice that could make or break the next clean energy industry – offshore wind.
Via ShutterstockTo counter industry propaganda and build support for the urgent action required, California must launch a creative, coordinated, aggressive, well-funded media advocacy campaign that connects the dots between the fossil fuel industry and its catastrophic impacts on our health and our climate.
Capturing energy from the air in the Tehachapi Pass, California. (Photo: Patrick Poendl)OPINION: Programs established through AB 32 have helped us implement several key projects, and have given a leg up to advanced energy companies across the state. Benefits from these programs extend to sustainable buildings, advanced energy businesses, clean energy schools and sustainable transportation, and reflect the growing importance of clean energy investments to California’s economy.
A smog-tinged view in black and white of Century City, Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles. (Photo: Trekandshoot, via Shutterstock)OPINION: What can you do for a kid who wants to play soccer but can’t, because air pollution and the child’s asthma don’t mix on bad air days? It’s the kind of question that comes up regularly for me, as a doctor specializing in asthma and allergies.
Capturing energy from the air in the Tehachapi Pass, California. (Photo: Patrick Poendl)We are cutting per-capita carbon pollution dramatically while growing our state’s economy. Now, for every dollar of goods and services we produce, we emit less carbon pollution than any other major economy except for nuclear-powered France. Contrary to fear-mongering by some politicians, California has cut emissions by 25 percent while growing our economy by 37 percent over two decades.
A sugar factory , Puunene, Maui, Hawaii. (Photo: Mike Brake)OPINION: Political pundits are saying Gov. Brown, Senate Leader Kevin de León and Sen. Fran Pavley suffered a major political defeat when SB 32 was pulled back and the fuel reduction provisions of SB 350 were removed. We don’t see it that way. This was one skirmish in a long-term battle to balance our environmental, social and economic goals.
Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, addresses colleagues on the Senate floor.(Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/AP)To environmentalists in California, across the nation and around the world, she is a trailblazing leader. To the California Chamber of Commerce and many Republicans, she is the unrealistic author of job-killing, la-de-da legislation. To some, she is a futurist who predicts gas stations will disappear in 10 years. She is Fran Pavley, a pleasant, gray-haired Democratic state senator from Southern California who does not come across as a firebrand but can grow passionate about protecting the environment.
A powerplant at sunset. (Photo: David Crockett)Last week’s executive order on climate change from Gov. Jerry Brown offers a valuable opportunity to reflect on what Pacific Coast climate leadership is helping us achieve. As someone whose career has spanned both economic and environmental interests, I have a unique vantage point on why reducing carbon emissions is a win-win for both business and the environment.
As rush hour approaches, traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. (Photo: Frontpage)Permission slips covering an array of fuels used in California – and which account for nearly 40 percent of the state’s carbon emissions – will be put on the auction block as part of the state’s landmark law to curb climate-changing greenhouse gases.