Welcome to the California Climate change Portal

History of California's Involvement in
Air Pollution and Global Climate Change

"The first theory of global warming came in 1824 when French mathematician Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier discovered that the Earth's temperature was slowly increasing. Fourier argued that the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation and reflects it back toward the earth.

"In the late 19th century Fourier's theory was labeled the "greenhouse effect" when Nobel Laureate Svante Arrhenius coined the term to explain how carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Arrhenius believed that the greenhouse effect was responsible for the onset of the ice ages.

"In the 1950s, amateur scientist G.S. Callendar warned that the greenhouse effect was true and dramatically impacting the atmosphere of the Earth. Callendar's claims were termed the "Callendar effect," and led to increased research on global warming. Over the next few decades, scientists developed ways to measure the Earth's climate and devised mathematical models to better analyze global temperature. This led to a steady rise in the belief that human activity was dramatically effecting the environment. Scientific studies began to predict that increased carbon dioxide emissions, due to increased use of fossil fuels, would trigger an outbreak of global warming."

Above from: www.globalwarmingarchive.com/History.aspx, accessed March 13, 2008.
Note: This free website has since been pulled off line and is replaced by a subscription website and database called "Newspaperarchive.com".


Mid-20th Century - An Awareness Begins

California's interest in decreasing greenhouse gases and global climate change and its fight against air pollution dates back more than 60 years, back to the 1940s.

The first recognized episodes of smog occur in Los Angeles in the summer of 1943. Visibility was only three blocks and people suffered from smarting eyes, respiratory discomfort, nausea, and vomiting. The phenomenon is termed a "gas attack" and blamed on a nearby butadiene plant. The situation did not improve when the plant was shut down.

The best scientists at Cal-Tech, the University of California, and Stanford University were put to work. What they discovered set the stage for pioneering air pollution work over the next five decades - making California a world leader in the fight against smog.

Scientists simulated the atmosphere in the laboratory. They discovered that smog was mainly ozone gas and very small particulate matter. It came from the burning of fuels and the emission of hydrocarbon vapors - cooked under stable air in warm sunlight.

In 1945, the City of Los Angeles began its air pollution control program, establishing the Bureau of Smoke Control in its health department, but studies showed that the Los Angeles area's smog problem needed a county-wide collaboration. On June 10, 1947, California Governor Earl Warren signed into law the Air Pollution Control Act, authorizing the creation of an Air Pollution Control District in every county of the state. The Los Angeles County Air Pollution Control District was established. It was the first of its kind in the nation.

In the U.S. and worldwide, air pollution continued to cause great harm. In 1948, in Donora, Pennsylvania, an air pollution episode killed 20 people, numerous animals, and half of the town's 12,000 residents became ill due to uncontrolled emissions from industrial facilities. In 1952, more than 4,000 deaths were attributed to "Killer Fog" in London, England. Another "Killer Fog" enveloped London in 1956, resulting in at least 1,000 deaths.


The 1950s: Hula Hoops and Carbon Dioxide Over Mauna Loa

In 1952, Dr. Arie Haagen-Smit discovered the nature and causes of photochemical smog. He determined that nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons in the presence of ultraviolet radiation from the sun forms smog (a key component of which is ozone). Congress stepped in and passed the Federal Air Pollution Control Act of 1955 which provided for research and technical assistance and authorized the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare to work towards a better understanding of the causes and effects of air pollution.

In 1954, G. Evelyn Hutchinson, a Yale biologist, first suggests that deforestation will increase atmospheric CO2.

In 1955, the Bay Area Air Pollution Control District was established. It included the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and portions of Solano and Sonoma counties.

In 1957, Roger Revelle and Hans Seuss, scientists with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, report for the first time that much of the CO2 emitted to the atmosphere is not absorbed by the oceans (as some had argued), leaving significant amounts in the atmosphere which could eventually warm the Earth. They call carbon dioxide emissions "a large-scale geophysical experiment" with Earth's climate.

In 1959, California enacted legislation requiring the state Department of Public Health establish air quality standards and necessary controls for motor vehicle emissions. The first statewide air quality standards were set by the Department of Public Health for total suspended particulates, photochemical oxidants, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

In the late 1950's and early 1960's Charles Keeling used the most modern technologies available to produce concentration curves for atmospheric CO2 in Antarctica and Mauna Loa. These curves have become one of the major icons of global warming. The curves showed a downward trend of global annual temperature from the 1940's to the 1970's. At the same time ocean sediment research showed that there had been no less than 32 cold-warm cycles in the last 2.5 million years, rather than only 4. Therefore, fear began to develop that a new ice age might be near. The media and many scientists ignored scientific data of the 1950's and 1960's in favor of global cooling.


1960s Brings Heightened Awareness About the Environment

Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring was published in 1962. It brought to the public's attention the disruptive impact humans can have upon the earth's fragile ecosystems.

In1963, First Federal Clean Air Act of 1963 was enacted. It empowered the Secretary of the federal Health, Education, and Welfare to define air quality criteria based on scientific studies. The act provided grants to state and local air pollution control districts. The Federal Clean Air Act of 1963 was amended in 1965 by the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act of 1965. Direct regulation of air pollution by the federal government is provided for, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare was directed to establish auto emission standards.

In 1966, the California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board adopted auto tailpipe emission standards for hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. They were the first of their kind in the nation.

In 1967, the first reliable computer simulation calculates that global average temperature may increase by more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit when the atmospheric CO2 level doubles that of pre-industrial times.

Also in that year, the California Air Resources Board was created from the merging of the California Motor Vehicle Pollution Control Board and the Bureau of Air Sanitation and its Laboratory. The Mulford-Carrell Air Resources Act was signed into law by Governor Ronald Reagan.

The Federal Air Quality Act of 1967 became law and established a framework for defining "air quality control regions" based on meteorological and topographical factors of air pollution. It allowed the State of California a waiver to set and enforce its own emissions standards for new vehicles based on California's unique need for more stringent controls.

According to William Safire writing in the New York Times, the term 'global warming' was first used in print by United Press International in 1969.


The 1970s - Environmental Concerns Increase and Take Center Stage

The year 1970 was a pivotal event in environmental activities. Backyard burning was banned in selected areas of California. The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) was signed, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Richard Nixon to protect all aspects of the environment. The Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 were enacted. They served as the principal source of statutory authority for controlling air pollution. Established the basic U.S. program for controlling air pollution.

And on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. A few months earlier on November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article about environmentally related events: "Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."

In 1971, the ARB adopted the first automobile nitrogen-oxides (NOx) standards in the nation, but smog continued to a big problem in Southern California. In 1975 in Los Angeles, the maximum one-hour ozone concentration recorded was 0.39 parts per million (ppm). The area exceeded Stage 1 smog alerts (0.20 ppm) on 118 days..

In 1975, the first two-way catalytic converters came into use as part of the ARB's Motor Vehicle Emission Control Program.

The following year, the South Coast Air Quality Management District was formed. It included portions of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. And in that same year, ARB limits lead in gasoline.

The Federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 were enacted, requiring the review of all National Ambient Air Quality Standards by 1980.

In 1977, the California Energy Commission adopts the world's first energy efficiency standards for both residential and nonresidential buildings. The standards are updated every three years to take advantage of new and better technologies.

In 1979, the report of a National Academy of Sciences panel on climate change advises that "A wait-and-see policy may mean waiting until it is too late..." to avoid significant climate changes.


The 1980s - First Scientific Consensus On Climate Change

In 1983, a National Academy of Sciences report confirms that a doubling of CO2 levels eventually would warm the Earth by 3 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit. The same year a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study called Can We Delay A Greenhouse Warming? states that as a result of warming, "agricultural conditions will be significantly altered, environmental and economic systems potentially disrupted, and political institutions stressed."

California's Smog Check Program went into effect in 1984 identifying vehicles in need of maintenance and to assure the effectiveness of their emission control systems on a biennial basis.

In 1985, a conference sponsored by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the International Council of Scientific Unions forges a consensus of the international scientific community on the issue of climate change. The conference report warns that some future warming appears inevitable due to past emissions regardless of future actions and recommends consideration of a global treaty to address climatic change. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations recorded at Mauna Loa Observatory show steady increase averaging more than 1 ppm/year since Keeling's measurements began in the late 1950s.

In 1987, an ice core from Antarctica analyzed by French and Russian scientists reveals an extremely close correlation between CO2 and temperature going back more than 100,000 years.

In 1987, the television documentary "After the Warming" by science historian James Burke is set in 2050 and "looks back" over the years 1990-2050 at the history of global warming and its impacts on the planet and human history. The documentary is broadcast by the BBC and over PBS stations in the U.S. The first half of the program is a whirlwind tour of Earth's climate history and mankind's energy history. The second half is an optimistic "history" of how humanity manages to avoid climate catastrophe and social and economic chaos. (http://www.cogito.org/Articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ContentID=17164)

In 1988, the California Energy Commission was made the lead agency for climate change issues under Assembly Bill 4420 (Sher, Chapter 1506, Statutes of 1988). The Energy Commission was statutorily directed to prepare, in consultation with the Air Resources Board and other agencies, and maintain the state's inventory of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The legislation also direct the Commission to issue a report on GHG emissions and how global warming trends might affect California's energy supplies and demand, economy, environment, agriculture, and water supplies.

That same year, the California Fuel Methanol Reserve established. ARCO, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Texaco and Ultramar sign agreements with California Energy Commission to establish M85 fueling stations as part of ten-year demonstration program that eventually serves tens-of-thousands of alternative fuel vehicles.

The California Clean Air Act was signed by Governor Deukmejian in 1988. The Act set forth the framework for how air quality will be managed in California for the next 20 years.

1988: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), made up of leading climate scientists from around the world, is established by the United Nations Environmental Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. This organization tries to predict the impact of the greenhouse effect according to existing climate models and literature information. The Panel consists of more than 2,500 scientific and technical experts from more than 60 countries all over the world. The scientists are from widely divergent research fields including climatology, ecology, economics, medicine, and oceanography. The IPCC is referred to as the largest peer-reviewed scientific cooperation project in history.

In 1989, The Energy Commission issued two reports: Comparing the Impacts of Different Transportation Fuels on the Greenhouse Effect, and The Impacts of Global Warming on California. (Note: We are working to add electronic versions of these important documents to the website. - Webmaster) That same year, the ARB had an informational agenda item on global warming.


The 1990s - Growing Scientific Evidence On Climate Change

1990: An appeal signed by 49 Nobel prize winners and 700 members of the NAS states, "There is broad agreement within the scientific community that amplification of the Earth's natural greenhouse effect by the buildup of various gases introduced by human activity has the potential to produce dramatic changes in climate ... Only by taking action now can we insure that future generations will not be put at risk."

In 1990, California's population reached 30 million people. Total registered vehicles reached 23 million and vehicle miles traveled is 242 billion. Cumulative California vehicle emissions for NOx and HC are about 1.4 million tons/year. This is 200,000 tons/year less than in 1980 despite a rise of 87 billion in VMT.

The Energy Commission released the first reports an the inventory of GHG emissions and impacts of climate change on California:

  • 1990: 1988 Inventory of California Greenhouse Gas Emissions
  • 1991: 1991 Global Climate Change Report
  • 1991: Global Climate Change - Potential Impacts and Policy Recommendations
(Note: We are working to add an electronic version of these documents to the website. - Webmaster)

In 1990, the Energy Commission also sponsored its first Symposium on Global Climate Change. The meeting was held at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

In Washington D.C., the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 were signed into law by President George H. W. Bush. They relied largely on elements of the California's act, and required a number of new programs aimed at curbing urban ozone, rural acid rain, stratospheric ozone, toxic air pollutant emissions and vehicle emissions, and establishes a new, uniform national permit system. The CCAA also established a California pilot program requiring 150,000 clean fuel vehicles a year by 1996, increasing to 300,000 year by 1999.

That same year, the ARB approved standards for cleaner burning gasoline and low- and zero-emission vehicles.

The scientific working group of the IPCC, drawing on 170 scientists from 25 countries, publishes a report in 1990 stating that human activity increasing greenhouse gas emissions "will enhance the greenhouse effect, resulting on average in an additional warming of the Earth's surface." It calculates that an immediate 60% reduction in CO2 emissions would stop the buildup of carbon dioxide.

747 participants from 116 countries take part in the Second World Climate Conference. The conference statement reports that "a clear scientific consensus has emerged on estimates of the range of global warming which can be expected during the 21st century. If the increase of greenhouse gas concentrations is not limited, the predicted climate change would place stresses on natural and social systems unprecedented in the past 10,000 years."

Phase I California clean-burning (reformulated) gasoline came to market in 1992 . The result was 220 tons less of reactive organic gases (ROG) released every day (6 percent reduction), and elimination of the use of lead in gasoline. ARB required the addition of oxygenates in gasoline to cut carbon monoxide emissions by 10%.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is signed by 155 nations at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. The Framework Convention's stated objective is "stabilization of atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system."

The NAS publishes a study reporting that despite uncertainties, greenhouse warming poses a potential threat, "sufficient to merit prompt responses ... Investment in mitigation measures act as insurance protection against the great uncertainties and the possibility of dramatic surprises. In addition, the panel believes that substantial mitigation can be accomplished at modest cost. In other words, insurance is cheap."

A supplementary 1992 IPCC report updating its 1990 study finds that new research confirms the general conclusions of its earlier study. However, the report notes that reflection of sunlight by particulates may be offsetting some greenhouse warming in the Northern hemisphere.

In 1994, the United Nations Panel on Climate Change asserted that global warming was still a threat and nations needed to enact drastic changes in order to negate the effects of global warming.

Smog Check II signed into law in 1994 following lengthy negotiations with the USEPA, designed to meet the requirements of the Federal Clean Air Act as amended in 1990. This program targeted vehicles which pollute at least 2 to 25 times more than the average vehicle and requires repairs and retesting of offending vehicles.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, representing the consensus of climate scientists worldwide, concludes that "... the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate." The year 1995 matches 1990 as the hottest year on record. It releases another climate change report in 1996.

Air Resources Board announces in 1996 that the big seven automakers commit to manufacture and sell Zero Emission Vehicles.

California's Phase II Cleaner Burning Gasoline (CBG) came to market. CBG reduces lung-damaging ozone and ozone precursors by 300 tons/day, as well as reducing airborne toxic chemicals like benzene that can cause cancer. This is equivalent to taking 3.5 million cars off the road.

On December 1, 1997 a worldwide conference on global warming begins in Kyoto, Japan. More than 160 nations, parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopt the Kyoto Protocol, with legally binding obligations to limit emissions of industrialized nations for the years 2008-2012. The Protocol's emissions targets are hailed as important first steps toward the Framework Convention's objective of avoiding dangerous climate change, and as necessary if warming is to be limited to between 1°C-2°C (1.8°F-3.8°F).

1998 proved to be the warmest year of the last century based on thermometer data and the warmest of the last millennium based on proxy temperature data. In 1999, New York City has its hottest July on record.

In 1998, the Energy Commission releases a report outlining strategies for reducing GHG emissions titled: 1997 Global Climate Change Report: Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Strategies for California. As part of the state's deregulation of the electricity industry, the Energy Commission began the Renewable Energy Incentive Program, which supported incentives for renewable energy production from existing facilities; funding for new large-scale wind, geothermal and solar facilities; and rebates for installation of solar electricity systems on homes and businesses.

The California Fuel Cell Partnership, a public-private venture to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles in CA, formally began in 1999. The Partnership includes auto manufactures, energy providers, fuel cell manufacturers and the State of California.

At Governor Davis' direction, ARB approves a new set of gasoline rules in 1999 that will ban the additive MTBE while preserving all the air-quality benefits obtained from the state's cleaner-burning gasoline program.

The California Energy Commission sponsored the Global Climate Change Science Workshop in 1999, which featured researchers and top investigators in the scientific community.


A New Century, A New Determination to Battle Climate Change

2000: Nations meeting in The Hague, Netherlands fail to reach agreement on the implementation rules that are prerequisites for most industrialized nations' ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 measured at Mauna Loa reach 368.37 ppm, their highest level in 420,000 years.

2000 California's population grows to 34 million with 23.4 million registered vehicles in the state. Annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT) reaches 280 billion miles. Cumulative California vehicle emissions for nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons are about 1.2 million tons per year. This is 200,000 tons/year less than 1990 despite an increase in VMT of 40 billion miles per year.

In September of 2000, Senate Bill 1771 (Sher, Chapter 1018, Statutes of 2000) was signed. It created the non-profit organization, the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry helps various California entities' to establish greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions baselines. Also, the Registry enables participating entities to voluntarily record their annual GHG emissions inventories. The legislation also directs the Energy Commission and Air Resources Board (ARB) to advise the Registry.

The California Energy Commission sponsors the Global Climate Change Strategies Workshop in the year 2000.

Governor Gray Davis signs Executive Order D-16-00 that direct the Secretary for State and Consumer Services to facilitate sustainable building practices.

Also in 2000, the ARB sponsored a public meeting to consider and informational report on "Air Pollution Trends: Past Progress and Future Challenges," including a discussion of global warming.

2000: The South Coast Air Quality Management District's maximum one-hour ozone concentration recorded is 0.18 parts per million. The area has no Stage 1 Smog Alerts (0.20 ppm ozone) this year, down from 42 Alerts in 1990.

2000: Six communities are chosen for Children's Environmental Health Protection Program. Community studies in Boyle Heights, Wilmington (Los Angeles), Fruitvale (Oakland), Barrio Logan (San Diego), Crockett (Contra Costa County) and Fresno aim to improve our understanding of the impact of air pollution on children's health and development.

2000 A long-term children's health study funded by the ARB revealed that exposure to high air pollution levels can slow down the lung function growth rate of children by up to 10 percent.

2000 ARB approved a comprehensive plan to reduce harmful particulate matter emissions from diesel powered equipment.

2000 The Board voted unanimously to keep the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate in place.

2000 ARB amended the state's agricultural burning guidelines to reduce the public health impact of smoke from controlled burns.

2000 ARB adopted regulations to further reduce air pollution from transit buses operating in CA.

On October 13, 2001, Governor Gray Davis signed California Senate Bill 527. This bill required the California Energy Commission to provide guidance to the California Climate Change Registry on a number of issues, such as, developing GHG emissions protocols, qualifying third-party organizations to provide technical assistance, and qualifying third-party organizations to provide certification of emissions baselines and inventories.

2001: The IPCC issues its Third Assessment Report stating that "There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities.". The IPCC points out a number of features of the climate system in addition to warming (like intensity of rainstorms) that have already changed, and estimates that warming of the coming century will reach 1.4°C-5.8°C (2.5°F-10.4°F) if emissions are not limited. IPCC finds that even warming of between 1°C-2°C (1.8°F-3.8°F) is likely to pose high risks to unique and threatened ecosystems, and to lead to increases in the risk of extreme climate events. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences, at the request of President George W. Bush, issues a report analyzing climate science. NAS finds that "temperatures are in fact rising. The changes observed over the last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities." NAS reports that IPCC's findings are "robust" and its work is "admirable."

2001 The United States Global Change Research Program releases the findings of The National Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change. The assessment finds that temperatures in the U.S. will rise by 3-5°C (5-9°F) over the next century, and predicts increases in both very wet (flooding) and very dry (drought) conditions. Many ecosystems, including alpine, wetland, forests and coastal areas, are vulnerable to climate change. Water supply for human consumption and irrigation is at risk due to increased probability of drought, reduced snowpacks because of warmer temperatures, and increased risk of flooding. Human infrastructure along our nation's coast are at risk to increased damage from sea level rise and storm surges. President George W. Bush declares scientific uncertainty too great to justify Kyoto Protocol's targets.

Senate Bill 1170 was approved requiring the Energy Commission, the ARB, and the Department of General Services to develop and adopt fuel-efficiency specifications for state motor vehicles and replacement tires to mitigate public health and environmental problems, including global warming.

2001: Zero-emission vehicle mandate was upheld, with modified requirements. Automakers were required to produce between 4,450 and 15,450 zero-emission cars starting in 2003.

2001: A new private/public partnership, called the California Stationary Fuel Cell Collaborative, was created seeking to reduce demand on California's electrical grid by encouraging commercialization of stationary fuel cells.

2001 ARB adopted new rules that limit public exposure to asbestos-laden dust from construction and quarry sites. These measures will better protect Californians from the potential threat of cancer, asbestosis, and mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos fibers.

2001 New standards were passed to reduce diesel soot and smog forming emissions by 90% from new large diesel engines. The new standards take effect with the 2007 model year and affect engines that power big rig trucks, trash trucks, delivery vans, and other large vehicles.

2001 The ARB adopted new Environmental Justice Policies to ensure that residents of low-income and minority communities receive equal consideration under all ARB regulations and programs.

2001: The Public Utilities Commission implements the Self-Generation Incentive Program that provides incentives for larger-scale solar electricity systems (greater than 30 kilowatts).

A number of bills were signed into law on greenhouse gases:

  • AB 1493 (Pavley, Chapter 200, Statutes of 2002) on vehicular emissions and greenhouse gases required the Air Resources Board to adopt regulations that ensure reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases.
  • SB 812 (Sher, Chapter, 423, Statutes of 2002) give additional instructions to the Climate Registry and also talks about sequestration of carbon dioxide as a possible way to reduce GHG emissions.
  • SB 1078 (Sher, Chapter 516, Statutes of 2002) established the country's first Renewable (Energy) Portfolio Standard (RPS). This standard requires an annual increase in renewable electricity generation equivalent to at least 1 percent of sales, with an aggregate goal of 20 percent of electricity produced by renewable resources by 2017.

In 2002, the California Energy Commission releases three reports on greenhouse gas emissions:

  • Inventory of California Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-1999
  • Guidance to the California Climate Action Registry: General Reporting Protocol
  • Guidance to the California Climate Action Registry: Certification Protocol

The Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted regulations under Assembly Bill 1493 to achieve maximum feasible and cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles.

2002: ARB adopted an Airborne Toxic Control Measure to reduce pollution from idling school buses.

2002: ARB adopted new particulate matter standards. The new annual-average standard for PM10 is 20 ug/m_ and for PM 2.5 is 12 ug/m_. The 24-hour standard of 50 ug/m_ for PM 10 is retained as well as the 24-hour average standard for sulfates at 25 ug/m_.

Senate Bill 812 direct the Climate Action Registry to include forest management practices in its arsenal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

2002: 2002 is the second hottest year on record (to date), following 1998. Heavy rains cause disastrous floods in Central Europe leading to over 100 deaths and more than $30 billion in damage. Extreme drought in many parts of the world (including Africa, India, Australia and the U.S.) results in thousands of deaths and significant crop damage. The European Union, Canada and Japan ratify the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, bringing the agreement's total membership to over 100. The U.S. and Australia refuse to sign the Protocol, stating that it will harm their economies.

President George W. Bush calls for ten more years of research on climate change to clear up remaining uncertainties, and proposes only voluntary measures to mitigate climate change until 2012.

Senate Bill 1389 in 2002 directs the Energy Commission to prepare and adopt an "Integrated Energy Policy Report" every two years. The first report was adopted in November 2003.

Assembly Bill 857 directed the Governor to update its State Environmental Goals and Policy Report (PDF file). The EGPR was originally put into statute in 1970, the updated report marked "the first time in 25 years that a Governor has attempted to address the issue of growth and development on a statewide scale. It analyzes the current context of our environmental, economic and social setting; the driving forces behind growth and development; and the outside influences that a hat affect many of the State's actions, policies, and programs. Based on this analysis of existing conditions and influences, the EGPR proposes several cross-cutting and integrated goals and policies for the State of California which will allow it to achieve the overarching goal of sustainable development." It was released by the Governor's Office of Planning and Research in November 2003.

The Energy Commission, Public Utilities Commission, and (now defunct) California Power Authority issue the Energy Action Plan identifying energy efficiency and demand response as the state's preferred energy resource and accelerates the 20 percent renewable electricity goal from 2017 to 2010.

The Governors of California, Washington State, and Oregon adopt a Global Warming Initiative.

The Energy Commission adopts the 2003 Integrated Energy Policy Report, which includes the supporting document titled Climate Change and California, (PDF file) publication # 100-03-017F.

The Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program creates the "California Climate Change Research Center," an Internet-based, "virtual center" for gathering scientific research about global warming and its impacts on California. The program issues its first of more than 150 research reports (as of April 2008) in 2003 titled Global Climate Change and California: Potential Implications for Ecosystems, Health, and the Economy along with 16 appendices to the main report. The report's abstract calls it "...the most detailed study ever undertaken on the potential effect of climate change on California. This work examines a broad array of potentially affected sectors as well as the interactions between climate change and increased population, economic growth, and technological change. It considers a wide range of climate change scenarios, ranging from warmer and much wetter to warmer and much drier. Most climate models estimate that precipitation will increase."

The Energy Commission's PIER Program hosts the first Annual Climate Change Research Conference in Sacramento.

2003: ARB adopted a regulation banning of all outdoor residential waste burning. The regulation went into effect January 1, 2004.

2003: ARB adopted new diesel fuel standards. The rule required greater than 95% reduction in the amount of sulfur in diesel fuel.

2003: Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman introduce a bipartisan bill to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases nationwide via a greenhouse gas emission cap and trade program.

In 2004, the ARB adopted the nation's first "Greenhouse Gas" rule that requires automakers to begin selling vehicles with reduced greenhouse gas emissions by model year.

Caltrans, in 2004, issues the California Transportation Plan

2004 Community Health Air Pollution Information System (CHAPIS) was unveiled. CHAPIS is a free web based tool to map various air pollution sources in CA and gives an itemized account of the sources' air emissions.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger issues Executive Order S-7-04 outlining his vision for the California Hydrogen Highway Network.

On June 1, 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order # S-3-05, which established the following greenhouse gas targets: By 2010, Reduce to 2000 Emission Levels By 2020, Reduce to 1990 Emission Levels By 2050, Reduce to 80 percent Below 1990 Levels

Assembly Bill (AB) 1007, (Pavley, Chapter 371, Statutes of 2005) required the California Energy Commission to prepare a state plan to increase the use of alternative fuels in California (State Alternative Fuels Plan). The Energy Commission prepared the plan in partnership with the California Air Resources Board, and in consultation with the other state, federal, and local agencies. In preparing the State Alternative Fuels Plan, the Committee incorporated and build on the work currently underway within the Bio-Energy Interagency Working Group, the work of other agencies, and also examined the broader suite of alternative fuels that could benefit California's transportation market.

August 1, 2006, Governor signs an agreement with British Prime Minister Tony Blair that California and the U.K. will collaborate on Climate Change initiatives.

On August 30, the Legislature passes AB 32. Governor signs the measure on September 27, 2007, Called the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gases (GHG). The law sets an economy-wide cap on California greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by no later than 2020. This is an aggressive goal that represents approximately an 11 percent reduction from current emissions levels and nearly a 30 percent reduction from projected business-as-usual levels in 2020.

Senate Bill 1368 (Stats. 2006, Ch. 598), was passed which required the Public Utilities Commission and the Energy Commission to implement an emissions performance standard for all retail providers of electricity in the state. For any long-term commitment (five years or longer) to buy or build generation to serve California retail customers, emissions must be limited to 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per megawatt-hour of electricity delivered. This is roughly equivalent to the emissions from a new combined cycle natural gas turbine. The law also provides for the possibility that the CO2 emissions from a generator could be permanently captured and stored, thus not counting towards the performance standard limit for that generator.

In 2006, AB 1811 directed the ARB and the CA Energy Commission to develop a joint plan to spend $25 million in incentives for the use and production of alternative fuels.

The Governor's Executive Order S-17-06 of September 28, 2006, directs inter-agency climate coordination and establishes Market Advisory Committee and Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee.

California switched to new ultra low sulfur diesel fuel in 2006.

On Continuing his historic leadership to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lower California's reliance on foreign oil, Governor Schwarzenegger issued an Executive Order on January 9, 2007, establishing a groundbreaking Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) for transportation fuels sold in California. By 2020 the standard will reduce the carbon intensity of California's passenger vehicle fuels by at least 10 percent. This first-of-its kind standard will support AB 32 emissions targets as part of California's overall strategy to fight global warming.

In 2007, the ARB adopted greenhouse gas emissions limits to reflect 1990 levels, per the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32) -- a roughly 25 percent reduction by 2020. Annual greenhouse gas mandatory reporting requirements are set for the largest facilities in the state. The ARB requires that auto manufacturers must label vehicles to reflect smog and greenhouse gas emissions, helping consumers consider a vehicle's environmental impact. And California began to set early action strategies to cut greenhouse gas emissions from the trucking industry, greener ports, cement and semiconductor industries, clean fuels and consumer products.

2007 FINAL Adopted State Alternative Fuels Plan, Adopted by ARB and adopted December 5, 2007, at Energy Commission Business Meeting.

Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Executive Order Establishing World's First Low Carbon Standard for Transportation Fuels (January 18, 2007)

Governor Schwarzenegger Announces Agreement with Western States to Reduce Greenhouse Gases (February 26, 2007)

Governor Schwarzenegger Announces California's Participation in International Carbon Action Partnership (October 29, 2007)


International Events in 2007 from Reuters News Service:

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The Mon Sep 24, 2007, U.N. meeting on climate change is the latest in a series of decisions taken this year on an issue increasingly at the top of the international agenda:

January 10 - European Commission presents "the most ambitious policy ever" to fight climate change, challenging the world to follow Europe's lead in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The European Union executive proposes the 27-nation bloc reduce emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels and by 30 percent if others follow suit.

February 2 - U.N. climate panel says it is at least 90 percent certain that mankind is to blame for most global warming in the last half century, up from 66 percent sure in 2001.

March 9 - EU leaders resolve to slash greenhouse gas emissions and switch to renewable fuels, challenging the world to follow its lead in fighting climate change.

April 6 - Climate experts warn global warming will cause faster and wider damage than previously forecast, ranging from hunger in Africa and Asia to extinctions and rising ocean levels.

May 4 - Climate experts, meeting in Bangkok, agree on third part of U.N. report that says fighting global warming is affordable and the technology is available and stresses the need to brake the growth in greenhouse gas emissions.

May 31 - U.S. President George W. Bush unveils long-term strategy on climate change, plans to gather countries that emit the most greenhouse gases and set a global emissions goal.

June 7 - Group of Eight summit agrees on a need for "substantial cuts" in emissions, falling short of European calls to halve emissions by 2050. It also wants a global deal for fighting climate change in place by the end of 2009.

August 3 - Bush invites 11 other countries plus the European Union and the United Nations to a conference on climate change for September 27-28 in Washington.

August 27 - Climate negotiators from more than 150 countries meet in Vienna with calls for a global deal beyond 2012 to replace the U.N.'s Kyoto Protocol and to include outsiders such as the United States and China.

August 29 - Draft version of fourth and final part of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, due for release in November, says mankind to blame for climate change but governments still have time to impede the accelerating pace of damage at moderate cost if they act quickly. Industrial nations, meeting in Vienna, are deadlocked over whether to set stringent 2020 goals for cutting greenhouse gases at a first U.N. session about long-term climate targets.

September 7 - Asia-Pacific leaders agree to a "long-term aspirational goal" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but no binding targets, at end of APEC summit.

September 24 - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon seeks to advance the global agenda on climate change when he meets heads of state and other top officials from more than 150 countries at the United Nations. More than 70 heads of state or government are due to attend the one-day event, making it the largest meeting ever of world leaders on climate change.

October 1-3 - The second International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism was held in Davos, Switzerland.

November 12-17 - The 27th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change took place in Valencia, Spain.

December 3-14 - The United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Bali, Indonesia, brought together representatives of more than 180 countries with observers from intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations.

Sources: Air Resources Board, California Energy Commission, Environmental Defense Fact Sheet #381, CalEPA - State Agencies' "Score Card"