California has passed tough new legislation this month to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The deal reached by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Democrats, which defied the opposition of his fellow Republicans, makes them the first US State to impose a cap on expulsion of carbon dioxide and other gases. The "historic agreement to tackle global warming" means major industries will be required to cut their output of greenhouse gases and will be able to trade emissions credits. Overall, California's emissions should be cut by 25% by 2020. They are currently the world's 12th largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
As reported in last month's Monthly Bulletin, Schwarzenegger signed an accord with Prime Minister Tony Blair, which established joint research into cleaner burning fuels and technologies. However, this commitment has put him in direct confrontation with the White House, which has seen President Bush reluctant to commit to any agreements to tackle climate change. This is a stance that former Vice President Al Gore believes is changing, with a "better than 50 - 50 chance that Bush will change his policy in the next two years" following a re-think by his strongest supporters.
