California and the rise of ‘sub-national’ climate action
From its solar panel-adorned rooftops to the influx of Teslas now populating area carpool lanes to a strong organic food sector, California is well known for its stereotypical green reputation.
What's much less clear is how the state's aggressive emissions targets and growing cleantech sector really translate on a global economic scale, when stacked up against world powers like China, the European Union or the rest of the U.S.
The state more than holds its own, according toa new report (PDF)by think tank Next 10, which named California the No. 2 least carbon-intensive economy in the world behind nuclear power stalwart France.
通过将国家的能源消耗，排放和清洁技术创新方面与世界上50个最大的温室排放国，该报告强调了日益重要“次国家”，或州和地方一级的气候问题采取行动在没有一个全球性的框架。
The upshot: sub-national climate policies can complement economic growth, as they already have in California. The state has a GDP of $2 trillion, good for theNo. 7 biggest economyin the world, prompting Next 10 to analyze the state's global climate leadership ahead of the UN Climate conference slated for December in Paris.
在本周二，加州州长杰里·布朗还进一步调升，国家的作用，signing a multinational agreement与来自其他11个州和省限制温室气体排放量低于2摄氏度的领导人 - 即在其联合国气候科学家们预测的门槛，会释放无法弥补的伤害。
作为从遥远的威尔士，英国和英亩，巴西，以及佛蒙特，俄勒冈州，华盛顿州和省在墨西哥的地点聚集，该集团表示，他们的集体经济代表4.5万亿$国内生产总值和100万人。
“这一全球性挑战需要政府部门的部分大胆的行动随处可见，”州长布朗说。
即使他们的国家政府没有达到在巴黎COP 21会议同意明年秋天，这些地区会。具体地，他们同意在2050年，减少温室气体的排放量从它们的区域80〜95％的程度低于1990年水平。
低碳增长
总体而言，未来10发现，加州发出约1世界能源相关的温室气体％，而仍然居全国第31人均排放量。
除了加州的环境足迹更炫目，但是，经济增长与环境影响关系的发展状态的说明。
As of 2012, California was No. 1 for energy productivity, No. 2 in terms of total electricity generation from renewable energy sources and tied for No. 2 in adoption of electric vehicles.
“我很惊讶地看到加州如何做，”佩里在GreenBiz接受记者采访时说，该报告强调“深度和持续转向清洁能源。”
也许不太奇怪，因为硅谷长大的清洁技术创业公司像SolarCity公司和尤伯杯的崛起，美国加州也获得了$ 11十亿价值的清洁技术风险投资资金的近一半的全球清洁技术专利2012年一个完整的7％发放了由加州大学申请居民去年。
“这里的概念正好发展经济和减少排放，”道格·亨顿，新的未来10报告的作者说。“我们认为这样做是创新的方式 - 用不同的方式做事”
本地与大规模气候行动
尽管加州ag)已经成为了头条新闻gressive carbon-reduction targets for years — most notably with the 2006 passage of the Global Warming Solutions Act, AB 32 — which set a goal of rolling emissions back to 1990 levels by 2020.
Then, last month, Gov. Jerry Brown upped the ante by announcinga new objectiveof cutting emissions another 40 percent by 2030.
该州的主要城市也已经与当地的气候适应能力的战略实验的温床，旧金山，去年成为世界第一城聘请首席弹性官. Los Angeles, a city synonymous with urban sprawl, also最近发布a first-of-its-kind urban planning strategy that hinges on cutting emissions, saving water and deploying renewable energy in tandem with adding housing and transit options.
Other cities around the world, from New York to Tokyo, are also deploying local initiatives to combat the ill-effects of climate change, leading some to speculate that cities and states — bound by less bureaucracy and politics than national governments and international bodies — hold the real keys to action on climate issues.
That optimism is buoyed by the hype around smart cities technologies, which promise more precise sensor-based data on emissions, waste and other resources, in turn raising big questions about funding, private sector involvement and potential pitfalls like being overwhelmed by numbers or ensuring data security.
佩里，但是，不看本地和非本地气候行动作为一个零和游戏。
"We certainly hope that the Paris meetings in December are successful," he said of the upcoming COP 21 UN meeting. "I think that it works concurrently to have sub-national agreements."
特别是，他说，像加州的州和地方的举措可以作为一个试验场政策和新兴技术。加州在太阳能和更快地采用电动车的热潮就是两个例子。
"What’s particularly important is the dissemination of technical information," Perry said.
报告指出，除了美国加州自己的总量管制与交易制度和可再生能源和排放标准，国家也“直接与国家，美国各州和共享，并利用其经验其它亚国家实体的工作。”
Report author Henton adds that state and local jurisdictions may also be wise to prioritize areas of climate policy where they are likely to have a larger impact.
"Particularly in the U.S., states have the ability to set standards for energy efficiency and renewable energy portfolios and how they regulate utilities," he said.
He singles out other notoriously politically-progressive states, including New York and Massachusetts, along with global renewable energy leader Germany, for taking proactive measures in these arenas.
下一步：找出如何买单的新方法，以可持续发展的法案不抽筋经济。
The innovation question
虽然全球碳排放量在最近的记忆停滞在去年第一次，许多分析师和观察家质疑的真正脱钩的碳排放加剧气候变化从经济增长经济增长的活力。
Henton contends somewhat counter-intuitively that stricter regulation can actually help accomplish this lofty goal.
Take California's solar industry.
The business of solar has mushroomed in the last two years after navigating financial volatility associated with the price of photovoltaic panels. Now, as energy users look to comply with emissions cuts, solar providers in the state have also deployed refined financial models to lower up-front costs and encourage investment, which is further encouraged by government incentives.
“优惠政策鼓励投资，”亨顿说。“你开始看到新的商业模式这个临界点，即开始蔓延到美国和甚至全球的其他地区。”
它是提供了最大的意外收获为国家传统清洁技术的实际车外新的商业模式。
Ridesharing startups like Uber account for more than half of the $5.7 billion in cleantech venture funding invested in California companies during 2014, illustrating the broad potential of transitioning high-impact industries to carbon neutrality.
"In an ideal world — and maybe it will someday be that world — it would be possible to make all of our goods and services with no emissions," Perry said.
