Following in Al Gore’s footsteps, earlier this month former President Bill Clinton launched an effort with 22 of the world’s largest cities to cut emissions, a bigger move on the global warming front than anything our current administration has offered. Others, though, are taking up the reins including:
California Governor Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger is in talks with Prime Minister Tony Blair about trading carbon dioxide pollution credits.
22 states and the District of Columbia have set standards demanding that utilities as much as 33 percent from renewable sources by 2020.
11 states have set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
California has passed legislation mandating that automakers reduce their vehicles’ carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent by 2016 (10 other states have committed to adopt the same standards if the law survives in court).
As many as 13 states are working to get power plants to trade pollution credits for carbon emissions while cutting greenhouse gas emissions 10 percent by 2019.
Meanwhile, Congress can’t get it together to pass the Climate Stewardship Act which has been around since 2003. That one of the bill’s pioneering authors, Joe Lieberman, just lost his primary, is a less than promising sign.
