Evolving Air Quality Standards
The standards have gotten tougher. Compliance still lags.
The goal of the Clean Air Act is to achieve national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS), with the primary requirement being protection of public health. As our understanding of the health effects of air pollution has improved, there has been a general trend toward tightening the standards. However, it’s very hard to keep track of how the standards have actually evolved. With that in mind, I’ve put together some brief timelines. I am focusing on what are called ...
CONTINUE READINGGetting to Implementation
The Status of Local Climate Action in California
This post is co-authored by CLEE Climate Policy Fellow, Hanna Payne In the arc of climate action, we are firmly in the era of implementation. As climate change accelerates, communities across the state are experiencing the effects of a changing climate. To avoid the worst of these impacts, it is critical that we rapidly implement actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to the effects of a changing climate. Meeting this challenge requires implem...
CONTINUE READINGWhat to watch for, and ignore, at the upcoming climate talks in Dubai
UCLA Law's Mary Nichols, Alex Wang, and Ted Parson preview COP28 in a webinar this Wednesday.
Each year since 1995, the countries of the world have gathered to negotiate what to do about climate change. They do so under the auspices of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the universally adopted climate change treaty that sets a goal of avoiding dangerous interference with the climate system. Those talks have had ups and downs through the years and have resulted in (among other things) the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Twenty-eight years in...
CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental Policy on the Political Firing Line
“The Empire Strikes Back” or “The Return of the Jedi”? Either is possible on Election Day.
We're now a year away from Election Day, but things are already starting to heat up. And the outcome couldn't be more important. The next election could transform U.S. environmental policy, for better or worse. A GOP trifecta in 2024 would put Trump in the White House with GOP control of Congress. That would be at best a replay of 2017-2019 in terms of environmental policy. There would probably be an even greater impact due to shifts within the GOP. A Democratic trife...
CONTINUE READINGIt’s High Time to Ban “Monster Fracking” in California
Fracking consumes enormous amounts of water, pollutes aquifers & is contrary to our climate goals
Recently, the New York Times published an important and disturbing expose' titled, "'Monster Fracks' Are Getting Far Bigger. And Far Thirstier." The Times article focuses on the alarming intersection of three current environmental crises--water supply shortages, groundwater contamination, and excessive greenhouse gas emission levels--that threaten California and other states across the nation. Fracking (the shorthand term for "hydraulic fracturing") is a p...
CONTINUE READINGA Compendium of Climate Conspiracy Theories
“The Truth is Out There.” Or maybe not.
Conspiracy theories about climate change are widespread. They cover a wide range, but the theme is generally that the world is run by some elite that is secretly using climate change as an excuse to take over the world. My favorite conspiracy theory is that the world is run by the Lizard People, evil reptiles disguised as humans. (About 4% of the U.S. public apparently believe this.) I couldn’t find anything connecting the reptilian cabal to climate change, but I ...
CONTINUE READINGHalloween Ideas for a Changing Planet
Pretty or scary or brave? There’s a climate costume to suit all tastes.
Children will be roaming the streets tonight dressed as Superheroes, Princesses, and Evil Villains. But really, these invented figures can’t hold a candle to the real ones in our world. Here are some possibilities: Cruela de Coal. This is an easy make-over of the Disney costume. Simply coat the costume with soot and add a “Coal Kills” sign. The Sea-Level Witch. Another easy one: just take a Sea Witch costume and wear shoe lifts. OR for the more adult cr...
CONTINUE READINGThe Scariest Movie Ever: “President Trump, Part II”
A tale that should send shivers down your back.
Given that Halloween is tomorrow, here's a frighting story-- the tale of what a Trump victory would mean for the future climate. Would a Trump victory be the end of the world? That might be an overstatement. But the result would surely be a surge in carbon emissions, dooming us to even more severe climate change. The federal government has gotten a late start in cutting US emissions anyway, due to Republican resistance. If we fall further behind, we could blow past an...
CONTINUE READINGLivestock Operations Are Responsible for Over Half of California’s Methane Emissions—Why Won’t CARB Regulate Them?
CARB will have the authority to regulate methane from livestock operations beginning in January but has not initiated rulemaking
At a recent California Air Resources Board (CARB) meeting, a staff member responded to a question about why CARB’s program for reducing emissions from transportation fuels incentivized the capture of methane from landfills so much less than the capture of methane from dairies: “Landfills have a different CI [carbon intensity] score because they are regulated,” the staff member explained. (Timestamp at 2:05:10). CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LC...
CONTINUE READINGSee You at the Ribbon Cutting
Republicans think clean energy is terrible and woke and they also want more of it.
“You know, I’ve joined many of you on the groundbreakings . . . And as I told my Republican friends, we’ll even do their districts too. (Laughter.) And I’ll be there for the ribbon cutting. (Laughter.)” That was President Biden tweaking the GOP members of Congress who had all voted against the Inflation Reduction Act but will be sure to show up for the ribbon cutting to take credit for new projects. As part of this effort to bring home the benefits of...
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