When the Copenhagen summit on climate change failed to reach agreement last December, many thought it was the beginning of the end for the fight against global warming. But I can report nearly a year later that the Green Revolution is alive and robust in states, provinces and localities across the world, starting in California.
Over the last several months an epic battle has played out right here in our state leading up to the elections. It was a battle of the old economy versus the new; of David versus Goliath. The same set of polluting special interests that blocked international action in Copenhagen and strangled environmental legislation in Washington descended on California to try to overturn our landmark legislation -- Assembly Bill 32 -- to curb carbon emissions and promote a clean energy future.
They rightly feared that, as the world's eighth largest economy, California's size and global presence has the clout to shape environmental change around the world. We may only be a little spot on the planet, but California, as a bellwether state and outpost of innovation, has the influence of an entire continent. They thought that if they could crush the green momentum in California like they did in Copenhagen and Washington, they could take any serious action on energy and the climate off the public agenda.
They spent scores of millions trying to convince Californians that a vote for the environment was a vote against jobs, that a clean energy future would just be too costly. Of course, they cared little about jobs and more about fattening their wallets by peddling dirty energy.
In the end, Californians rejected their cynical ploy by a huge 22 percent margin. Despite the propaganda, Californians were aware that green technology is the only area of our economy creating new jobs right now -- 10 times more jobs since 2005 than any other sector.
And Californians know the true costs of dirty energy. They know that 19,000 people are dying in California alone because of smog-related illness, costing many millions in health care. They are burdened by the costs of wars to secure foreign energy supplies. No one wants to fight another war over oil. Enough already.
So Californians pushed back. We formed a tremendous bipartisan coalition -- environmentalists, venture capitalists, health groups, businesses big and small, unions, farmers, Democrats and Republicans. Everyone came together. Never before have voters had such a clear and distinct choice over whether to maintain the status quo of pollution and war or fight climate change and shift toward a new economy built on clean energy.
Californians lived up to their reputation of choosing the future over the past. We delivered a message that failed to arrive in Copenhagen or Washington: The environment is not for sale.
While certainly proud about this demonstration of resolve, we can't afford to gloat. The task ahead for the planet as a whole is like pushing a boulder up a hill. What California's resolve shows is that even if progress on climate change and clean energy is stymied at the level of global governance or the nation-state, the sub-nationals can still move ahead to build a critical mass from below.
In coordination with each other, the "sub-nationals" have made exciting progress without international agreement over the last year:
Here in California, we just broke ground on the world's largest solar plant and the world's largest wind farm, providing enough energy to power 740,000 homes. We have already approved solar plants that will provide 4,000 megawatts of energy.
In short, we are very well on the way to our goal of generating 33 percent of our energy from renewables by the year 2020. And that is not even including hydro. When you fly over California, you will see solar panels blanketing the state -- on homes, prisons, hospitals and university buildings; on parking garages and warehouses.
Because of our environmental laws, California is now 40 percent more energy efficient per capita than the rest of the United States. More than one-third of the world's clean-tech venture capital flows right here out of our state. We lead the nation in clean energy patents and clean energy businesses.
For example, one such company, Solazyme, which produces fuel from algae, now has a contract with the U.S. Navy that will power its ships and jets with that fuel. That is the business of the future.
Clearly, we are at the opening stages of one of history's great transitions -- the transition to a new economic foundation for the 21st century and beyond that is free of fossil fuels.
The special interests that profit from fossil fuels will not wither away and die without a fight. They have deep pockets, and they will stop at nothing to disrupt and delay this historic transition.
California has stood up to them, and so have the other regions and localities I've cataloged here. No one has any doubts about the difficulty of this struggle. But one thing is certain: When change comes from people themselves, from the bottom up rather than from the global level down, it is true change. It will endure and can't be reversed. That, in the end, is what makes transitions historic.
© GLOBAL VIEWPOINT NETWORK/TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
Will it mean a big setback in the efforts to control climate change?
Will vested fossil fuel interests trump efforts to promote greener energy startups?
Will the US be left in the dust as far as getting up to speed with China and other countries getting their green industries up and running, meaning America will certainly be a second tier nation economically?
I wonder how this story will read in the history books?
US imported 62 percent of its oil in June 2010 spending $29.3 Billion
It's clear that the free market cannot reduce American oil dependency
For even the most reactionary GOP or "Drill, Baby, Drill" crowd, and climate-change or global-warming deniers, the economic facts are irrefutable. Increasingly, we'll be spending more on energy, be held hostage by oil-producing nations, subjected to price fluctuations, oil spills, without even considering the environmental impact (contaminated air and water), or health factors (asthma, allergies, toxins, etc.), which increasingly bloat and exacerbate budget deficits at the state and national levels.
The banks again....they want their mortgages. They don't want new construction impeded by good growth management.
Miscanthus is a grass with C4-photosynthesis. Miscanthus is capable of producing up to 20 tons of biomass per hectare.
20 tons of miscanthus can remplace 10 tons of coal
A large coal-fired plant can burn over 500 tons of coal every single day.
So 100 000 hectares of miscanthus are enough for one large coal-fired plant
It has hot deserts and cool coasts ,high mountains and the lowest place in our country
It has some of the greatest Universities in the world ,some on the right and some on the left
We have 37 million people from all over the country and the world
They come here because this is the best place to be
The goverment in Sacramento was stalled by some red hot wing nuts but that is over
California is the future , new things happen here ,trends start here, people have open minds
We will elect a Republican or a Democrat if he or she is the best for the state
We will be in the front leading the way to the new world of tomorrow
When others will cling to yesterday
It's a good thing we've got Jerry Brown coming back to follow him, because we know he's also committed to the environment and green energy.
We're suffering some short-term pain, but in the longer term California will be much better off for these efforts. As with fuel efficiency and emissions standards, other states will be looking at our example and following our lead. Even Texas, once those greedy oilmen figure out they can make a buck scattering solar panels all over their oil fields.
mheister - ask Arnold how many private jet flights he takes in a week. That will tell you something about how "green" he is.