In this paper, we assess the adequacy of the measures that have been proposed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to limit risks of market manipulation and rules violations in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions trading program. We focus in particular on the extent to which CARB has created conditions to ensure transparency in the market and sufficient liquidity to reduce the risk of market domination by a single or small number of participants. We also address CARB’s ability to detect foul play, take necessary enforcement actions, and impose adequate penalties.
A well-funded and comprehensive public transit system in California could help the state reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the driving and save residents and businesses time and money.
Key policy recommendations: State policies that lower the threshold for voter approval of transit tax measures, authorization of tax increment financing for transit improvements, better land use surrounding transit stations, and more efficient use of existing transit resources and infrastructure development.
Pritzker Brief No. 1 | July 2011
39 Harvard Environmental Law Review 23 (2015)
Water use means energy use. The state pumps and treats water and consumers use water in energy-intensive ways, such as through water heating and pressurizing. Consequently, the consumption of water in California requires approximately 20 percent of the state’s electricity, 30 percent of its non-power plant natural gas, and 88 million gallons of diesel fuel annually.
California’s state, regional and local governments spend roughly $28 billion each year on transportation infrastructure. But the majority of the funding goes to highways and other auto-oriented infrastructure, despite state laws requiring greenhouse gas reduction, promoting more compact real estate development, and encouraging more multimodal transportation options, such as walking and biking to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
California will need a strong and robust clean technology industry to develop the product and services needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But the growth of many clean technology companies is hindered by their lack of access to utility energy information, as well as customers' inability to access their usage statistics easily and comprehensively.
This report considers the potential effect of Proposition 26, which appears on the November 2, 2010 California ballot, on the state’s environmental and public health protections. With very little time remaining before the election, controversy rages over whether the passage of Proposition 26 would make it harder for the state to fund environmental protection programs and other public benefit programs.
On Oct. 21, 2010 at Korn Convocation Hall the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, KPCC Southern California Radio and the LA Times presented a public debate on Prop. 23, which would suspend AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act that requires reduced greenhouse gas emissions, until California's unemployment rate drops to 5.5% or below for four consecutive quarters.
This brochure presents background information on Proposition 23 and California's Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32).
Sustainable development refers to resource-efficient land use where residents live within walking distance of key services and mass transit and where neighborhoods contain a compact mix of uses, such as housing, office, and retail. Residents in sustainable developments do not have to drive a car to get to jobs and run errands, and the compact footprint of these neighborhoods lessens development pressure on open space and farmland.