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Gov. Jerry Brown tried to impose a drastic measure of forcing a 50% drop in petroleum use by the end of the next decade.
Governor Jerry Brown has just modified California’s global warming prevention plans. By 2030, California is set to use renewable energy for nearly half its electricity. The governor also committed the state to double the energy efficiency of its buildings in the next 15 years.
Gov. Jerry Brown even tried to impose a drastic measure of forcing a 50% drop in petroleum use by the end of the next decade, however, it was not possible due to the country’s oil interests. The governor said that it is just a temporary setback and that the world will soon understand that the burning of fossil fuels needs to be stopped as soon as possible.
“What has been the source of our prosperity now becomes the source of our ultimate destruction,” said Brown during a ceremony at the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles.
The governor said that the state of California has some of the worst air quality in the world. The government set a mandate back in 2006 that committed the state to derive one-third of its total energy consumptions from renewable sources by the end of 2020.
The reports say that the state currently uses renewable energy in proportions of 25%, since many solar farms were built in the desert regions and windmills sprouted near mountain passes.
An attorney working at the Natural Resources Defense Council says that it was unexpected for a state with the economy of California to get involved to such a great degree in the race to stop global warming. It is truly a “game-changer,” says Alex Jackson.
The new goal of 50% pollution decrease is definitely achievable by the end of 2030 according to the critics. However, they worry that these extreme regulations will enforce unknown costs for both businesses and consumers.
The critics predict that all renewable energy and things that will make use of it will be more expensive than before, and the new regulations will hurt poor Californian families the most.
Jerry Brown did not mention during the ceremony what will be the regulations the state of California will have to meet yet, leaving the details to the state’s Energy Commission board. The board is mostly governed by appointees which have a vast experience with economic life.
In California, solar, geothermal, biomass and wind are growing sources of energy, and they favored the measure taken by the government. The new regulations also encourage businesses to expand by building as many charging stations as possible for electric cars, which are more and more popular among American citizens.
Photo credits: Flickr
