THE ABC'S OF AB32

- Colleen Bell, Contributing Writer

My eldest son finds it amusing to scare his younger siblings. Usually it is the predictable jump out and make a scary face fright tactic. Last week, however, he was chasing the kids through the house, arms stretched to the side, fingers clenched, chanting in a low grovily voice, “Global warming…Global warming…GLOBAL WARMING!” Within seconds, two freckle faced kids went shrieking by in a race to safety behind the hamper in the upstairs closet. I might have scaled the stairs to huddle with them. I might have even sucked my thumb in fear. But, I knew something they didn’t. I knew about AB32.

     AB32, otherwise known as The California Global Warming Solutions Act is legislation that is nothing short of historic. Neither the federal government nor any other states have been bold enough to approve legislation that caps emissions across all pertinent economic sectors. AB32 will place tough controls on the state’s global warming pollution, with the ambitious goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by twenty five percent below forecasted levels.  Our state’s major industrial producers will have until 2020 to meet these new standards which will prevent

the annual release of 174 million metric tons of CO2. It would require hundreds of millions of trees to process all of these heat trapping gases.

     How will California achieve these ambitious goals? Through a “cap-and-trade” approach that uses the forces of a free market system. In terms of cap, this will provide a greenhouse gas emission target for companies to meet. As for trade, if one company goes over their allowance, they can then buy credits from a company that accrued credits for coming in under their emissions target.

      With California leading the way on dramatic legislation like this one, the monster size issue we are facing could become a little less frightening.