Region: California
Model Uncertainty in Politics and Climate Policy
The polls could be systematically off, not just due to random error. That’s a worry with climate models as well.
Yes, your favored candidate could sweep the swing states, and yes, climate change could be more moderate than we now expect. But that shouldn’t give you much comfort on either issue, since the errors could equally be in the opposite directions.
Obviously, we’d like to improve our models, but that’s not always easy. In the meantime, the smart thing is to plan on the basis of the best models we have but avoid overconfidence about our predictions.
CONTINUE READINGThe Election, Vehicle Emissions, and State Climate Plans
If the California car waiver survives a possible Trump presidency, we may have the overruling of Chevron to thank.
If one single thing about the election keeps state environmental regulators up at night, it’s how much a Trump victory would impact their ability to cut transportation emissions. As it turns out, Trump’s leverage would be reduced, ironically enough, because his conservative Supreme Court appointees helped overrule the Chevron doctrine. Trump can still cause a …
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CONTINUE READINGWhy You Should Read CA’s ExxonMobil Plastic Lawsuit
California’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil for lying about plastic recycling is the latest example of the state using old-fashioned legal tools to address more modern harms.
The media have moved on (understandably) from California’s recent lawsuit against Exxon over plastic recycling to other environmental stories like Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage and Hurricane Milton’s terrifying, rapid intensification. But anyone interested in the problem of plastic pollution—which should, frankly, be everyone—will appreciate digging deeper than the Day One headlines to read California’s 147-page …
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CONTINUE READINGA Small Win for Curbside EV Charging in California
AB 2427 marks progress for a key charging segment
Late last month, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2427, which represents a modest step in the effort to ensure all Californians have access to convenient electric vehicle (EV) charging, not just those who own their homes and have garages, by supporting efforts to invest in curbside EV charging. As CLEE described in a report issued …
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CONTINUE READINGA Good Day to Drop Big Oil
Major league sports teams like to talk about sustainability measures on Green Sports Day, which is Oct. 6. They should do something about their fossil fuel sponsors.
On Sunday, October 6, sports teams throughout the U.S. will participate in something called Green Sports Day, an annual event to promote sustainability in sports. Often, it’s a chance for a franchise to promote the recycling or energy conservation that goes on at its stadium. One thing these teams almost certainly will not be talking …
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CONTINUE READINGSB 1221 is Law. Time for Targeted Neighborhood Electrification.
This new California law will help build pilot programs for up to 30 neighborhood decarbonization zones to transition off gas.
Governor Newsom recently signed a bill (SB 1221) that lays the groundwork for a vital shift in California’s clean energy transition. The bill– by Senator Dave Min, with support from key decarbonization advocates–will create a pilot program at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to designate up to 30 “neighborhood decarbonization zone” projects. In these …
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CONTINUE READINGA Data-Driven Case for Level 1 EV Charging in Multifamily Housing–and its Equity Implications
New data insights from a community choice aggregator elevate the role of Level 1 charging in an equitable (and rapid) EV transition
Discussions about Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) electric vehicle charging generally posit a simple tradeoff: L2 (which requires a dedicated high-capacity electrical hookup) offers greater speed and convenience, while L1 (which can run on a standard 120V outlet) offers broader scale and affordability. L1’s benefits find particular traction in residential charging spaces–where drivers …
CONTINUE READINGClimate Policy After the 2024 Election
In this UCLA Emmett Institute webinar, panelists discussed the climate implications of the 2024 election from the state, national, and international perspective.
Climate certainty. Legislative action. Whipsaw regulations. An exodus of civil servants. Chinese leadership despite being the world’s largest emitter. Those are a few of the possible outcomes of the Nov. 5 presidential election, according to our panelists. More than in any previous election, the two major candidates’ track records on environmental policies are well-established and …
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CONTINUE READINGGovernor Newsom Should Veto These Four Bills
Four seemingly modest bills — AB 1122, AB 1296, AB 637 and AB 3179 — are sneaky legislative efforts to threaten California’s world-leading clean transportation investments.
This post was co-authored by Ruben Aronin, Principal of the Better World Group. With just weeks to go before November 5, all eyes are on the election, including what it means for environmental policy. And yet, one of the largest threats to California’s clean transportation leadership in recent history has materialized right under our noses …
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CONTINUE READINGNew Law Reaffirms Local Authority to Ban Oil Drilling
AB 3233, part of a trio of bills that the governor just signed, paves a clear path for local phase-out efforts.
This morning, Governor Newsom signed a trio of bills—AB 3233 (Addis), AB 1866 (Hart), and AB 2716 (Bryan)—that will protect communities in Los Angeles and across the state from the harms of oil and gas production, the impacts of which are disproportionately experienced in low-income communities of color across the state. He signed the package …
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