Western Climate Initiative Establishes Greenhouse Gas Goals

Western Climate Initiative Establishes Greenhouse Gas Goals



Aug. 2007  - The eight members of the 
Western Climate Initiative, WCI, today announced that they have 
established a regional goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the West 
to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. By defining the goal before the 
end of August, WCI members met the timetable they set when the 
organization was created in February. 
On February 26, the governors of Washington, Arizona, California, New 
Mexico, and Oregon created the Western Climate Initiative. Since then, the 
state of Utah and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba 
have joined the WCI. 
The WCI membership cuts across party lines including Republican and 
Democratic governors as well as Canadian premiers from the Liberal Party 
and the New Democratic Party.

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said, "In the absence of federal 
leadership, states and provinces have stepped up to meet the challenge of 
global climate change. We are working together to agree on common goals 
that will reduce our region's contribution to the problem while 
recognizing the states' individual goals. In Washington, we are committed 
to meeting the challenge and seizing the opportunities presented by 
climate change." 
All eight WCI member states and provinces jointly agreed upon the 
economy-wide regional goal announced today, although it only goes part way 
to the WCI's overall goal of "significantly reducing" dangerous threats to 
the Earth's climate. 
The WCI governors and premiers said, "Science suggests that this will 
require worldwide reductions between 50 and 85 percent in carbon dioxide 
emissions from current levels by 2050." 
"Today's announcement is about individual state and provincial governments 
showing leadership and taking steps to deal with climate change," said 
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer.

"Instead of waiting for federal action, states and provinces are on the 
forefront of reducing greenhouse gases and dealing with this serious 
threat to our environment and economy," said Doer. "Together, we can 
create a market for change." 
The WCI members also have agreed to design a multi-sector market-based 
mechanism, such as a load-based cap-and-trade program, by the end of 
August 2008 to help reach the goal. Each member will participate in a 
multi-state greenhouse gas emissions registry. 
"States and provinces are leading the way by working to solve - not just 
debating - the problem of climate change," said New Mexico Governor Bill 
Richardson, a Democratic presidential candidate.

"Our goal is the most aggressive regional goal in North America - to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent by 2020. Next, the partners 
in the Western Climate Initiative will develop a cap-and-trade program and 
do our part to tackle global warming," Richardson said. 
To meet the August 2008 deadline, all eight WCI members have joined The 
Climate Registry, a greenhouse gas emissions registry consisting of more 
than 40 U.S. states, tribes, Canadian provinces and Mexican states. 
WCI member British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell said today that the 
new regional goal reflects "the combined impact of emission-related 
targets B.C. and other members have set, and does not supersede those 
individual targets." 
"Membership in the WCI means having an aggressive greenhouse gas target 
for your jurisdiction, adopting California tailpipe standards, 
participating in a cross-border greenhouse gas registry, and working 
together on a regional cap and trade system to help meet our targets," 
said Campbell. 
"The more partners we unite now in meeting these objectives, the better 
off our countries and world will be in decades to come." Campbell said, "I 
am urging other Canadian provinces to participate in this initiative to 
create a single, continental market for carbon trading."
 
At the recent Council of Federation meeting in New Brunswick, the leaders 
of 12 of 13 provinces and territories agreed to work toward the objective 
of implementing California tailpipe emissions standards. British Columbia, 
Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba also committed to a cap and trade system. 
While the WCI is a regional effort, California Governor Arnold 
Schwarzenegger sees the organization as a way to connect with a growing 
worldwide movement to fight global warming. 
"Climate change is a global problem that requires a global solution," said 
Schwarzenegger. "California is proud to be among the Western Climate 
Initiative partners taking this important step to establish the most 
comprehensive regional greenhouse gas emission reduction goal in North 
America. Our collective commitment will build a successful regional system 
to be linked with other regional efforts across the nation and eventually 
the world." 
Four other U.S. states, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Wyoming; three other 
Canadian provinces, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan; and one Mexican 
state, Sonora, are participating as observers to the WCI's deliberations. 
The WCI members said they expect that some of these governments, as well 
as others, may seek to join as full members in the future. Current WCI 
members will use the regional goal of 15 percent cuts in greenhouse gas 
emissions below 2005 levels by 2020 in assessing requests from other 
jurisdictions to join the organization. 

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