Update on California Climate Change Efforts
By Sandy Exelby
The Inflation Reduction Act includes the most important climate legislation in the US ever, expecting a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions up to a billion tons per year by 2030. California and other states offer incentives that reduce household, agriculture and vehicle emissions. In southern states, the region where resistance to climate change mitigation is highest, Facebook, Google and Amazon have driven rapid growth in renewable energy in states with few climate change regulations. Companies like Walmart, working with environmental groups aim to eliminate billions of tons of carbon emissions from their supply chain between 2017 and 2030. Corporate customers in North Carolina pressured Ingersoll Rand to develop more sustainable transport options. Anheuser-Busch is committed to production with renewable energy and promotes decarbonization by its suppliers.
Recently San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) customers received a credit on their bills thanks to the California Climate program, the state’s effort to fight climate change. Industries that emit greenhouse gasses are required to buy carbon pollution permits. The credit we receive represents our share of the payments for this program.
Nonprofits work with the private sector toward government and nongovernment policies to reduce carbon pollution. The nonprofit-nonpartisan Citizens Climate Lobby recruits congressional legislators from both parties to work on climate solutions, proposing a carbon tax on industry polluters and simply returning those dividends to us, similar to the SDG&E system.
Nothing single-handedly can solve these complex problems. Government and non-government policies, environmental organizations and education plus our own smaller individual actions can help to make life sustainable on our planet.
