Governor Jerry Brown on Monday signed two measures designed to push the state to 100 percent renewable electricity and so-called carbon neutrality by 2045. One, Senate Bill 100 – will transition the state to a carbon-free energy grid by 2045, making it the second state – behind Hawaii – to set such an objective.
The second important document signed by the governor was an Executive Order pushing the state to reduce its net output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere — including from the single largest source, cars, and trucks — to zero by the same 2045 deadline.
“There’s no understating the importance of this measure,” Brown said, moments before signing the two actions reports NBC News. “SB 100 is sending a message to California and to the world that we’re going to meet the Paris [climate] agreement. And we’re going to continue … to transition our economy to zero carbon emissions and to have the resiliency and the sustainability that science tells us we must achieve.”
Meeting the two targets is an ambitious undertaking, more ambitious than any other country in the world, said the Governor’s office. But one thing is a given – nothing animates Governor Brown more than global efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions or the refusal by some politicians in this country to join the effort, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The Global Climate Action Summit
Today’s action is just a prelude to the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), taking place in San Francisco September 12 through 14. The gathering will bring over 5,000 government officials, business executives, and environmentalists together in what is being billed as the world’s largest meeting of “nonstate actors,” who can play a key role in making a difference in preventing the worst impacts of global warming.
And, quite fittingly, the theme of GCAS is to “Take Ambition to the Next Level.” n an op-ed this week for the San Francisco Chronicle, Brown wrote:
“We all know that Donald Trump has declared war on every effort to stop global warming and that his congressional acolytes have abetted his insane crusade. Tragically, even the leaders of nations who joined in the 2015 Paris climate accord are also failing to do what it takes to reverse global warming. Greenhouse gas levels are still rising, and they are producing an unsustainable human future.The summit in San Francisco is bringing together grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the local level and to demand that their national governments get serious and raise their ambitions.”
Climate change is the defining issue of our time – and we are at a defining moment. If we do not change course by 2020, we could miss our chance to avoid the disastrous consequences of runaway climate change. The time for ambitious ClimateAction is now. VykZtbYDUi
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 10, 2018
Governor Brown has also made China a key partner in the summit. Beijing has organized a “China Pavilion” at the summit, and China’s former chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua is one of five co-chairs, along with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, reports the Los Angeles Times.
And if the Climate Summit is not a big enough deal all by itself, there will also be an more than 325 affiliate events in San Francisco and elsewhere. Many of these panels, workshops, tours, exhibits and other special events are open to the public or can be attended virtually.
Click here for the full GCAS program. Some events will also be live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.
