Experts said going forward will be more challenging because the new goal – to reduce emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 – is considerably more ambitious and numerous easy solutions have been employed.
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According to a press release from the governor, Brown signed the bills on Thursday at the Vista Hermosa Natural Park, a 10-acre urban wilderness project built atop an old oil field and the first public park built in more than 100 years in the densely populated western edge of downtown Los Angeles. “Climate change is real, and knowing that, California is taking action”, Brown said.
A delegate to the Democratic National Convention is accused of assaulting a fellow delegate at a hotel bar during the convention in Philadelphia.
The bill is the latest of several bills Brown has signed curbing carbon emissions.
To meet the ambitious goals laid out in the new legislation, the state plans to ramp up renewable electricity use, boost energy efficiency in existing buildings, and put 1.5 million zero-emission cars on the road, explained the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Republicans say California’s efforts have raised consumer costs without noticeably affecting global emissions. It expands on California’s landmark 2006 law, which set the goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The two new laws signed by Brown faced fierce opposition from the state’s business community, including the oil industry, as well as from Republicans.
Despite his action, the state’s best known emissions reduction measure remains in jeopardy.
California has often set benchmarks for environmental programs, and state leaders said they hope other places around the country follow their lead on climate.
California will further slash greenhouse gas emissions after Gov.
Critics have also questioned the viability of the cap-and-trade program, which caps the amount of greenhouse gas companies can produce – but allows for the purchase at auction of emission permits, and allows businesses to trade credits among themselves.
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After the new legislation was approved by lawmakers last month, Brown said he would have additional leverage to persuade businesses to support an extension of cap and trade. News stories displayed here appear in our category for US Headlines and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. It creates a legislative committee to oversee regulators, giving lawmakers more say in how climate goals are met.
