Gov. Jerry Brown is into the final 18 months of his governorship and battling climate change was a central part of his agenda. He has now succeeded in getting the lawmakers of California to grant an extension to the cap-and-trade program until 2030. This was an important component of the efforts to reduce climate-altering emissions.
Need to check global warming
According to New York Times, the measure was approved by a two-thirds majority in both the Assembly and the Senate. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, felt that it should go through with a vast majority to ensure that it does not stumble at a later stage and face legal hurdles.
It was heartening to note that eight Republicans voted for the bill which revealed their acceptance of the fact that tackling climate change was necessary. By this decision, California has shown its commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.
The program imposes a statewide cap on carbon dioxide emissions and permits companies to buy and sell pollution credits. Gov. Jerry Brown is hopeful that the funds generated through this measure will be able to finance the construction of a high-speed train link between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Benefits that would accrue
The decision of President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris accord on climate change was unexpected. It was, basically, an initiative of former President Barack Obama to improve the health of the environment.
It was also a part of an international effort to address global warming. Hence, the victory of Gov. Jerry Brown is a positive step that California has taken to tackle global warming and climate change. The business community has extended support to the bill, but a section of environmentalists felt that it was not tough enough on the industry.
Gov. Brown had been to China recently where he met President Xi Jinping and discussed the need to have cooperation to reduce global emissions. It is a long term requirement for the whole world because global warming is a result of the effect of greenhouse gases in the form of carbon dioxide.
These gases are generated by the burning of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum products and the time has come to embrace alternative forms of energy like solar energy or electricity.
It can be assumed that the section of society who are reluctant to fight the evils of global warming would possibly be having vested interests. They must realize that, unless checked in time, the situation would deteriorate and the very existence of humankind would be threatened.
Climate is a component of nature that is unpredictable and, when there is global warming, it leads to unseasonal rains in some places with drought in others apart from smogs, and floods and life, in general, is thrown out of gear.
