On October 28, 2013, two U.S. states, Washington and Oregon, signed an agreement with California and the Canadian province British Columbia that will set prices for carbon emissions in Oregon and set emissions limits and standards for Washington, efforts that will help to align regional efforts.
The collaboration follows a prior effort to form a regional authority on emissions trading policies, the Western Climate Initiative (WCI); the group’s members currently include British Columbia, California, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
WCI will meet with officials from the Chinese coast in January to discuss possible collaboration.
These actions demonstrate continued U.S. and Canadian interest in pursuing regional carbon markets, an effort which has slowed on the national agenda.
For the complete article, please see Ohio University.
How might a single threat, even one deemed unlikely, spiral into an evolving global crisis which challenges the foundations of global security, economic stability and democratic governance, all in the matter of a few weeks?
The former lead climate negotiator for the UK and the EU, Peter Betts, welcomes the decision to move COP26 to 2021 and discusses what is needed from the postponed climate summit.
Paris and Berlin have added their names to a growing list of EU capitals asking for the European Green Deal to be placed at the heart of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan.
Greenhouse gas emissions are down and air quality has gone up, as governments react to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, has cautioned against viewing this as a boon for the environment. In this First Person editorial from UN News, Ms. Andersen calls instead for a profound, systemic shift to a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet.