California Climate Investment Plan Draft Is Good Primer on California Strategies

California's climate strategy includes a robust cap and trade program that is generating billions of dollars.  The money is invested in climate solutions at a level surpassing climate investments by almost all national governments.  The California Air Resources Board is assisting the state Department of Finance in developing the latest version of a forward-looking plan for investing future revenues.

The 2015-16 California state budget allocated over $2.2 billion in cap and trade revenue to programs, ranging from $20 million for healthy soils to $350 million for low carbon transportation and $765 million for transit and rail projects.  Billions more in revenues are expected over the next few years.

The allocation of cap and trade revenue is subject to negotiations between the governor and legislature, but it is guided by an intensive review of potential climate investments in many program areas.  The review is mandated by legislation signed by Governor Brown in 2012 (AB1532, by Assemblymember John Perez).  The legislation requires regular preparation and updating of three-year climate investment plans for cap and trade auction revenues.

The California Air Resources Board has released the latest draft of the investment plan.  The plan will serve as background for the governor and legislature as they guide the expenditure of several billion dollars in auction revenue expected from 2016 to 2019.  Revenues will be used for a variety of public investments and incentives.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/auctionproceeds/
draft-second-investment-plan.pdf

Hearings on the plan will take place in early November and comments will be accepted until November 13. A new draft will be released in early December, followed by another comment period and a hearing before the Air Resources Board on December 17-18.  The plan will be submitted to the legislature in January.  (Details on the hearings here)

The draft document, Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second Investment Plan:  Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19 (Draft) (linked here), includes detailed background and serves as a very useful primer on the California climate program and related investments/expenditures.  The plan has already been the subject of several workshops and over 200 written comments have been received to date (written comments can be viewed here).

The draft plan provides detailed background on the investment areas and programs.   There is also a good discussion of how investments will target disadvantaged communities, as required by state law.

The Air Resources Board staff has done an excellent job of preparing a series of graphics that provide an overview of the California climate program and related uses of auction proceeds.  Below is a selection of graphics covering the overall California strategy and summarizing expected investment areas for the next few years:

Overview of California Climate Goals for 2030:

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Additional Detail on California Climate Goals & Targets Through 2050

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

CO2 Emissions at 2020, 2030, 2050

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Overview Of Proposed Investment Areas

   Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Proposed Transportation Investment Concepts, Including Recipients

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Proposed Energy Efficiency/Renewables Concepts Including Recipients

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Proposed Resources/Waste Concepts Including Recipients

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Proposed Transportation & Sustainable Communities Concepts Including Recipients

Source: (10//27/2015 Draft) Cap-and-Trade Auction Proceeds Second
Investment Plan: Fiscal Years 2016-17 through 2018-19

Small Bits of Climate Hope from Europe

I returned last week from a vacation in Europe.  We had a thoroughly enjoyable time hiking in the mountains of Tuscany and visiting our son in the Netherlands.

Climate solutions were not the intended focus of our trip, but I couldn't help but notice the many energy conservation and renewable energy efforts in the countries we visited. I came away feeling more optimistic that needed climate solutions are being implemented and can be accelerated.

Solar is much more commonplace than I expected. We spent a week in an Italian Agritourismo originally built in medieval times in a remote mountain area. It is now largely run by solar. In a neareby hillside village in the Garfagnana area north of Lucca, homes with photovoltaic panels are easily spotted.

Solar panels on homes in the hills of Garfagnana, Italy

Even very old homes are are adding solar as they are remodeled, as the home below shows.

In the small town of Maastricht in the southeastern corner of the Netherlands, homes have many energy conservation features such as motion sensors for lights, heavy insulation, CFL and LED lighting and efficient windows.  These simple features are common throughout the areas we visited in Europe.  Solar is also increasing, as the roof of the home next to our Bed and Breakfast shows.

Solar Panels on Roof in Maastricht, Netherlands

Our journeys between towns were on electrified trains that were reliable and generally faster that auto travel.  Electric cars and plug-in hybrids are becoming much more commonplace.  Paris has had an electric car-sharing program since 2011.  There are now about 3000 cars in the Paris program being used for over 10,000 rentals a day (source here).  The Paris program is now rolling out to other cities.  Paris also boasts a robust bicycle sharing program.

AutoLib Paris Shared Electric Cars at one of about 1000 charging locations

Tesla and one other car charging in Maastricht, Netherlands

Cars charging at train station in Dusseldorf, Germany

Often forgotten among the climate solutions are steps to reduce waste, recycle and compost.  Not only are resources used more efficiently, but greenhouse gas emissions from rotting garbage can be minimized or eliminated with proper management.  In Florence, Italy, there are separate streetside bins for organic waste and recyclables, offering residents a convenient way to assure proper handling of materials.

Food and organic waste collection bin on street in Florence, Italy

Recyclables collection bin on street in Florence, Italy

These are just a sampling of the measures we saw.  Windmills were seemingly everywhere, as were larger solar installations.  Passive solar design is incorporated in buildings,  LED lighting is becoming widespread.  Bicycle use is emphasized through workable bike lanes bike share availability.

The nations of the world will be gathering in Paris in early December to craft agreements with the goal of keeping temperature rise under about 3.6 degrees farenheit in the coming decades.  To be successful, sweeping changes in our approach to energy production, transportation systems and resources utilization will be critical.  But rapid implementation of the large-scale solutions will require many small scale actions by communities and individuals.  

Our recent trip to Europe helped convince me that the needed steps are taking hold in many areas.  With aggressive commitments and incentives for governments, it will be possible to take both the large and small steps needed to slow and eventually stop climate change.

I'll be returning to Paris for the U.N. Climate Summit in December.