Board of Supervisors Looking into a Climate Action Plan. On December 5, 2006, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors directed the County’s Executive Officer (CEO) to report back to the Board on the costs, timeline, and funding opportunities for preparing a 2007 Climate Change Action Plan. The CEO’s report will also outline the actions already taken by county agencies to reduce emissions and will make recommendations for actions for the Board consider in the near future. Other aspects for implementing the plan, such as funding, public education, and overlap with the Air Pollution Control District, will be included.
Climate Action Plans, which have already been prepared by a number of California cities and counties, outline a strategy for a local government to most efficiently and effectively reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. These plans generally start with an emissions inventory in order to establish a baseline emissions number. An emissions reduction goal is then established, and an action plan is developed which outlines specific strategies to achieve that goal. Once these strategies are implemented, emissions are monitored to determine effectiveness.
State Actions
AB 1493. California Assembly Bill 1493 (Pavley) enacted on July 22, 2002, required the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop and adopt regulations that reduce greenhouse gases emitted by passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks. Regulations adopted by CARB will apply to 2009 and later model year vehicles. CARB estimates that the regulation will reduce climate change emissions from light-duty passenger vehicle fleet by an estimated 18% in 2020 and by 27% in 2030 (CARB 2004).
GHG Emission Reduction Targets (Executive Order S-3-05) California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on June 1, 2005, through Executive Order S-3-05, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets as follows: By 2010, reduce GHG emissions to 2000 levels; by 2020, reduce GHG emissions to 1990 levels; by 2050, reduce GHG emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels. Some literature equates these reductions to 11 percent by 2010 and 25 percent by 2020.
AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. In 2006, the California State Legislature adopted AB 32, the California Global Warming Solutions Act. AB 32 set in place the nation’s first economy-wide global warming emissions reduction program. The act requires CARB, the state agency charged with regulating statewide air quality, to adopt rules and regulations that would achieve greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to statewide levels in 1990 by 2020—approximately a 25% reduction.
On or before June 30, 2007, CARB was required to publish a list of discrete greenhouse gas emission reduction measures that can be implemented. Emission reductions shall include carbon sequestration projects and best management practices that are technologically feasible and cost-effective. Greenhouse gases as defined under AB 32 include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.
AB 32 requires that by January 1, 2008, the state board shall determine what the statewide
greenhouse gas emissions level was in 1990, and approve a statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit that is equivalent to that level, to be achieved by 2020.
Executive Order S-01-07. Executive Order S-01-07 was enacted by the Governor on January 18, 2007. Essentially, the order mandates the following: 1) that a statewide goal be established to reduce the carbon intensity of California's transportation fuels by at least 10 percent by 2020; and 2) that a Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels be established for California.
National Actions
U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. So far, over 500 mayors representing more than 50 million Americans have signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Under the agreement, participating cities commit to take following actions:
- Strive to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities, through actions ranging from anti-sprawl land-use policies to urban forest restoration projects to public information campaigns;
- Urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol—7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and
- Urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system.
International Actions
Kyoto Protocol. The United States joined other countries around the world in signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC was entered on March 21, 1994. Under the convention, governments:
- Gather and share information on greenhouse gas emissions,
national policies, and best practices;
- Launch national strategies for addressing greenhouse
gas emissions and adapting to expected impacts, including the provision
of financial and technological support to developing
countries; and
- Cooperate in preparing for adaptation to the impacts
of climate change.
The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty made under the UNFCCC. Countries can sign the treaty to demonstrate their commitment to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases or engage in emissions trading. More than 160 countries, 55% of global emissions, are under the protocol. U.S. Vice President Al Gore symbolically signed the protocol in 1998. However, in order for the protocol to be formally adopted, or ratified, it must be adopted by the legislature, which was not done during the Clinton Administration. The current President, George W. Bush, has indicated that he does not intend to submit the treaty for ratification.
IPCC. In 1988, the United Nations and the World Meteorological Organization established the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to assess “the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation.”
Through the IPCC, climate experts from around the world synthesize the most recent climate science findings every five to seven years and present their report to the world’s political leaders. The IPCC has issued comprehensive assessments in 1990, 1996, and 2001; its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) was released in 2007.
AR4 is the most comprehensive synthesis of climate change science to date. Experts from more than 130 countries contributed to this assessment, which represents six years of work. More than 450 lead authors have received input from more than 800 contributing authors, and an additional 2,500 experts reviewed the draft documents.
