Global Warming and the Solutions Act of 2006

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state.

The law was signed in September 2006 by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and mandated a statewide reduction in heat-trapping pollution to 1990 levels by 2020, ranging closer to a 25 percent reduction. However, this law only applies to California and not in any other parts of the United States. Altogether the United States produces a whopping 16 percent of all global CO2 emissions—as much as the European Union and India combined. Therefore, I believe the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 should update new regulations to guide systemic greenhouse gas emissions to be cut by 15% for each state in the United States.

Around 22.5 million people were displaced by climate or weather-related disasters between 2008 and 2015. Many citizens are already without shelter, clean water, and basic supplies. Setting the standard to cut emissions in each state will leave less of a carbon footprint and lessen these man-made disasters that are the effects due to human activity. We are also to blame for the planet’s average surface temperature which rose to 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit, that is 0.9 degrees higher than the 19th century. Not only that, but global warming has affected other life forms on this planet like coral reefs. Global warming puts coral reefs in danger as the ocean warms, scientist fears coral reefs won’t be able to adapt quickly enough to resulting changing conditions, bleaching incidents, and diseases will increase. We are overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide, which traps heat and steadily drives up the planet’s temperature. Where does all this carbon come from? The fossil fuels we burn for energy—coal, natural gas, and oil—plus the loss of forests due to deforestation, especially in the tropics.

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 has made a positive impact on California so far as it is on track to meet its emissions reduction, in which the electricity and oil consumption are lower than before. That is pretty good for a state with a population of 40.02 million and is still continuing to grow in size. It is important that people know about California’s effective climate policies because they set a vital example for the rest of the country and much of the world.

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