Region: California

California publishes new report on adapting to climate change impacts; is anyone paying attention?

All eyes are on the COP-15 proceedings in Copenhagen, and specifically on the prospects for greenhouse gas reductions emerging from the meeting.   At the same time, we need to plan to adapt to some measure of climate change impacts, some of which are unavoidable regardless of our success at reducing GHG emissions, and to build …

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Op-ed on local renewable energy production

Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and I authored an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle today that outlines steps California can take to boost significant renewable energy production, such as from wind and solar resources, from our large rooftops, highway land, aqueduct infrastructure, and other big spaces close to consumers.  These recommendations were informed by a …

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Renewable energy white paper released by Berkeley/UCLA Law & California Attorney General’s Office

As part of an ongoing series of white papers on business and climate change, UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law, together with the California Attorney General’s Office, is pleased to release our second white paper, on the topic of increasing renewable energy production from large public and commercial buildings, highway land, aqueducts, and other …

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California Air Resources Board releases draft cap-and-trade plan

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) today released the preliminary draft cap-and-trade regulation. CARB staff would like to have comments by January 11th of next year. A new proposal based on the comments will then be issued in Spring 2010. Some quick key points: 1) The proposal limits a covered entity’s use of offsets to …

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A New Beginning for the California Delta?

Early this past Wednesday morning, following an all-night session that would have made any college freshman proud, the California Legislature enacted major legislation designed to address the myriad problems affecting California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The package of five bills,  SB 7X 1, SB 7X 2, SB 7X 6, SB 7X 7, and SB 7X 8, …

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California water deal struck (just in time for UCLA event)

After months (years) of negotations, the California legislature has passed what many are calling the most comprehensive California water legislation in half a century.  The task was difficult: Figure out a way to fix our ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin delta; address shortfalls in water supply affecting urban, agricultural, and environmental interests; anticipate additional shortfalls and water supply …

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A red-letter day for washing machines

Under the Bush administration, which was implacably hostile to state environmental regulations exceeding federal minimum requirements, the Department of Energy refused to consider California’s request for permission to issue state rules setting water efficiency standards for washing machines. The Ninth Circuit has now set aside that action as arbitrary and capricious, and ruled that DOE …

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New Laws in California

Climatewire reports that that the governor has signed several new environmental laws: •A.B. 920, which expands the state’s net-metering program to require all investor-owned and publicly owned utilities to purchase surplus energy back from customers that generate their own wind and solar power, up to 2.5 MW per utility. The CPUC will set the rate. …

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Arnold Schwarzenegger, Climate Hypocrite

Schwarzenegger loves to talk about how concerned he is about climate change.  And talk he does — mostly at meaningless press events like the Governors Climate Summit.  But when it comes to, you know, actually doing his job, he’s decided that he’d rather side with the wingnuts in his party. A couple of hours ago, …

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The Low-Carbon Meat Diet

If you’re like me, you like meat.  Especially red meat, like a pepper-crusted steak or a juicy burger drizzled with bleu cheese.  But if you’re also like me, you’re concerned about climate change and the impact that our lifestyle has on the planet.  While hyrbids and CFL light bulbs get a lot of attention, Ezra …

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