Kick-off of California’s historic cap-and-trade program for climate change pollution sets stage for national action

(San Francisco – November 13, 2012) Tomorrow is a banner day for climate action in the United States. More than five years after California’s state legislature passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the state will officially launch the world’s most comprehensive cap-and-trade program for climate change pollution. By placing a cap on carbon across nearly the entire California economy, the program provides incentives to deploy new pollution reduction technologies while stimulating clean tech businesses and providing a model for national action.

 “This is a big day. California’s cap-and-trade program is the strongest and boldest move in the U.S. to protect public health and the environment from the clear and present danger of climate change,” said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), which co-sponsored and helped pass the legislation. “California’s innovative policies can lead the way for the nationwide effort needed to curb emissions and reduce climate impacts across the globe.”

Environmental Defense Fund is committed to the successful implementation of AB 32 and tackling climate change - working on behalf of its over 750,000 members and the millions of Americans that support clean air, a healthier environment and a strong clean energy economy.