Rapid Climate Change News —------ 01212009
Jay Moynihan
California here.........we come?
Last night Nova (PBS) broadcast "The Big Energy Gamble" http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/energy/ (should be available for watching online soon). It was a pretty comprehensive, for TV, look at the ups & downs of California's Climate Change Law (which is of course, about sustainable energy policy: California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/publications/legislation/ab_32_bill_20060927_chaptered.pdf ) which as of now, has the most ambitious time table of any government in the world, http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/publications/factsheets/ab32timeline.pdf . Something like 30% reduction by 2020, and 80% by 2050. It includes interviews done before the November election with Steven Chu. He was one of the key advisors to the Governator (Californian's nickname for Arnold Schwarzenegger) and is as of yesterday, our Secretary of Energy.
The timeline is as far as i am aware, the only legislated one, anywhere, that matches the IPCC Mitigation recommendations (i.e., is science based).
The Nova program covers the science, the tech, the politics, and the doubts. It also illustrates, what one of the main reasons for the law, that is often over-looked. Green Collar Jobs. California is, in their usual style, gambling on gaining market dominance in green tech in the U.S.. (Think over the last hundred years; entertainment, Internet, Stem Cells, etc.). I especially enjoyed the stylish automobile garage in San Francisco where you can get your Hybrid converted to a plug-in...
They are essentially, the test lab right now in the U.S. How will the 8th largest economy in the world do on this? What role will it play in the new administration? Stay tuned.
In light of that, if you are working on climate change/energy planning etc., you might want to take a look at California. The state has made it relatively convenient by having "portal", for all things Climate Change (read energy):
http://www.climatechange.ca.gov/
Also, a resource catalog for educators on climate change and energy:
http://www.globalwarmingcalifornia.net/
Google search string to also try:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2006-30,GGLG:en&q=california+%22climate+change%22
Jay
Jay Moynihan
Shawano County
UW-Extension Community Development Educator
Courthouse Room 101
311 North Main Street
Shawano, Wisconsin 54166 U.S.A.
Fax: (715) 526-4875
jay.mo...@ces.uwex.edu
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/shawano/cnred/index.html
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