California
is pioneering what could be the next battleground against global
warming: filing suit to hold cities and counties accountable for
greenhouse gas emissions caused by poorly planned suburban sprawl.
The
unprecedented action is being closely watched by states that have taken
aggressive steps to combat climate change - including New York,
Massachusetts and Washington. California Attorney General
Jerry Brown has sued San Bernardino County, the USA's largest in land
area and one of the fastest growing, for failing to account for
greenhouse gases when updating its 25-year blueprint for growth.
"It's
ground-breaking. California is just leading the way for other states
and jurisdictions that will ultimately follow," says Richard Frank of
the Center for Environmental Law and Policy at the University of
California-Berkeley.
In New York, global warming is one of Attorney
General Andrew Cuomo's "top priorities,"
says spokesman Jeffrey Lerner. "He's very focused on it. He feels like
we need to do everything we can to address that issue right away."
If the suit is successful, California cities and
counties could
be forced to take steps to limit sprawl, promote compact development,
require builders to design energy-efficient houses that offer solar
power, and encourage less driving, more mass transit and use of
alternative fuels.
