Social and Environmental Justice advocates gather at the final stakeholder meeting of the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) on July 29, 2008. The WCI proposes
to establish a regional trading scheme with 7 U.S. states, 73% of Canada's economy, and various regions of Mexico (see http://www.westernclimateinitiative.org).
To download the Press Packet for our press conference, visit the Media Page .
California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff recommend a regional cap-and-trade program on June 26, 2008. ( Download draft Scoping Plan .)
The Executive Summary is also available ( here .) The final version will be released
October 2008 and go to the Board for adoption November 2008.
Watch The Carbon Connection ,
a new documentary that examines the impact of carbon trading in two communities affected by one new global market – the trade in carbon dioxide.
In Scotland a town has been polluted by oil and chemical companies since the 1940s. In Brazil local people's water and land is being swallowed up by
destructive monoculture eucalyptus tree plantations. Both communities now share a new threat. As part of the deal to reduce greenhouse gases that cause
dangerous climate change, major polluters can now buy carbon credits that allow them to pay someone else to reduce emissions instead of cutting their own pollution.
Environmental Justice Organizations Across the Country and Internationally Come Together to Support Real Reductions in Fossil Fuel Use to
Address Climate Change
On June 2, 2008, floor debate begins on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act (S.2191) in the U.S. Senate.
The bill would replicate the European Union’s experiment with cap-and-trade in the United States. The European
Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) resulted in no net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, higher energy costs, and windfall
profits to the worst polluters. Link to LA Times article .
Click here for more information .
Today the Environmental Justice Forum on Climate Change , a coalition of Environmental Justice grassroots groups
and activists, declared our lack of faith that trading mechanisms can address the present and impending climate change
crisis. ( Download letter .) Furthermore, because this is the most critical issue of our time we called for a democratic dialogue on climate
change inclusive of all communities and sectors of our economy.
Also, The California Environmental Rights Alliance sent a letter to every congressional office
highlighting the fact that environmental justice organizations and activists throughout California and around the country
stand in strong opposition to the use of trading and offsets in climate change policy. We are united in our support of
policies that will fundamentally change the way we make and use energy and deliver true benefits to our communities and
communities around the world.
We stand ready to work with all for real, effective and just climate action policies.
Add your voice to the growing effort to abandon
the failed policy of carbon trading and offsets use --
Get Involved!
On February 19, 2008 Environmental Justice Organizations in California released The California Environmental Justice Movement's Declaration Against Use of
Carbon Trading Schemes to Address Climate Change.
Since the release of the Declaration people and organizations across California, the Country, and the World have
added their voices to ours
—calling for a rejection of trading schemes and offsets in favor of real reductions in fossil fuel
use and greenhouse gas emissions. Listen to us talk about our effort on
Living On Earth.
Emissions Trading is an approach that will not work to address the critically important task of reducing greenhouse gases.
Read the two Los Angeles Times Editorials (
California's cap-and-trade won't work
and
Time to tax carbon
), the Wall Street Journal Editorial (
Cap and Charade
), Michael Bloomberg’s position on trading as reported by the New York Times (
Bloomberg Calls
for Tax on Carbon Emissions
), and Al Gore’s call for a carbon tax in his
Nobel Prize acceptance speech.
See the long and growing list of opposition to trading on our
Resources page.
Even the
Congressional Budget Office
supports a carbon tax over a trading scheme
(we advocate for a carbon fee in California.)
We believe there is a better way to ensure success of California’s greenhouse gas reductions efforts that also supports
community health and long-term environmental sustainability: establishing policies that focus on moving the state away
from fossil fuels because such fuels are the overwhelming contributor to climate change and
have devastating impacts on low-income communities and communities of color. Such policies include:
- Demand reduction (like energy efficiency from both industrial and residential activities);
- Increase use of clean, non-nuclear renewables for energy production (by increasing the renewable portfolio standard that must be met by both
investor-owned and municipal energy providers and by removing barriers to renewable deployment);
- Putting a price on carbon by establishing a carbon fee and investing the proceeds in emissions reductions and speeding the development of
California’s clean energy economy.
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