A proper role for the largest state in the country and one of the birth places of high technology.
California fighting global warming with technology, greenbacks
David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
California is leading the way in the fight against global warming as its investors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into green technology companies and its citizens have cut per-capita emissions of greenhouse gases by nearly 10 percent in recent years.
So says a new report that praises the Golden State for making a fast start but warns that much more effort and innovation are needed to truly make a difference in the crisis.
The California Green Innovation Index, due to be released Wednesday by a local public-policy group and an economic consulting firm, shows progress on a number of fronts.
The amount of greenhouse gases emitted per capita in California has dropped 9.8 percent since 1990, although total emissions continue to rise along with the state's population. California has become the nation's biggest hub for green tech companies, which are developing new fuels and smarter ways to use energy. Those companies employ 22,000 Californians and are soaking up more venture capital money than similar businesses in other states, about $884 million in 2006.
Perhaps most important, the report's authors found that California has the right political environment for more progress.
The state's government says it is committed to fighting global warming and has passed laws to cut emissions and increase the use of renewable energy. Many Californians support the effort and have shown willingness to change their habits as a result, according to the report. They are buying energy-efficient appliances and are driving less - a stunning change in a state known for its car-centric culture.
"California is a model," said F. Noel Perry, founder of the Next 10 policy group, which commissioned the report. "The people of California are very forward-looking, and they like to solve problems."
Perry's nonpartisan group, which looks for solutions to statewide problems, worked with some of California's most prominent energy experts from government, academia and private industry to draft the report. Collaborative Economics, a consulting firm that has a long history of tracking Silicon Valley's ups and downs, conducted the research.
