Posted on 12/05/2005 10:42:45 PM PST by calcowgirl
When it comes to global warming, making promises is easy. Keeping them is hard, California is learning.
Six months ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made international news when he committed the state to meeting strict targets reducing greenhouse gases as a way to fight global warming.
A closer look at California's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that scientists say cause global warming reveals that even under the best scenarios, California will miss Schwarzenegger's targets by a wide margin. According to a new report, the state will miss the goals by at least 21 percent by 2020 unless his administration and the state Legislature take sweeping new steps to cut California's use of gasoline in cars, natural gas in power plants and other fossil fuels.
Many of the options that could reduce fossil fuel consumption the most -- such as a higher gasoline tax, a "carbon tax" or new laws capping the amount of emissions from power plants -- also are the most politically controversial.
The issue is taking on new importance this week.
Tonight, former Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to give a speech at Stanford University with Schwarzenegger's top environmental adviser, Terry Tamminen, on global warming. On Thursday, a report is due out from the Climate Action Team, a 15-member task force of state officials the governor put together to recommend specific ways to meet the targets.
"We want this to be meaningful. We don't want this to be a sham. The governor is sincere in his targets," said Alan Lloyd, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and chairman of the task force.
Monday, Lloyd would not provide details of the group's recommendations. They will include a range of options, he said, among them a state "cap and trade" program.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Ah, a decade is ten years. 2020 is 15 or 14 years away which is more than a decade.
hmmm... and I thought 2020 was just yesterday.
There would be lots of money for highway projects if the scum in Sacramento hadn't diverted it to a dozen other Feel Good measures. What money is left is being used on bridge widening for the possibility a bicycle may need to cross.
The solution has been to raise taxes to reduce population and thereby pollution.
"Someone needs to start a Politicians Anonymous program, the first step is to admit your a spend-a-holic" - This needed to be repeated
I was going to make a similar reference. Considering the the French Riviera, the California Senators, McCain from AZ, Reid from Nev, and the Palm Beach Democrats in Florida, I am beginning to think the problem is the sun. After all, it is responsible for global warming, or an ice age, which ever comes first.
What do they expect, with Hollywood and all?
...except for the "liberals-only" superhighway system for their SUV traffic, and the international "greenies-only" airports for their private jets. They have important environmental meetings to go to after all.
And when Algore gits done speechin down at Stanford, he's gonna drive up to UC Davis in his stretch SUV limo, to scratch-n-sniff coed bicycle seats without Tipper!!!
Simply incredible...
Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr, who has provided seed capital for several of the state's biggest technology companies, has also expressed support for the state proposal to enact a "cap and trade" system that would not only place a ceiling on emissions, but also allow businesses that cut more than their share of the gases to profit by selling "pollution credits" to businesses that do not cut emissions enough.California's proposals are part of a groundswell of global warming initiatives by state and city leaders nationwide, who are promising to boost clean energy sources and cut greenhouse gases in response to what they see as a failure to act by officials in Washington.
And so our state continues to lead the "Kook Parade". We're looking more and more like Massachusetts every day.
Yep.
Americans take local road to Kyoto (Cities and States bypass Bush)
Reduce or eliminate Bean consumption in California and that should just about take care of it.
The feds passed the budget with a 10-year $3 billion dollar expenditure for bike paths. Didn't you know that was a federal matter??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.