Assembly Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez Applauds Recent Progress of AB 32--California’s Landmark Global Warming Initiative

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

In this week’s Democratic weekly radio address, Assembly Speaker Emeritus Fabian Núñez (D-Los Angeles) points to growing enthusiasm for AB 32, the bill he authored to combat global warming. But as the California Air Resources Board releases the law’s draft implementation plan, the Speaker Emeritus expresses concern over Republican obstructionism.

You may listen in English or Spanish or read the transcript.

This is Fabian Núñez, Assembly Speaker Emeritus and the author of AB 32, California’s landmark law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat the effects of global warming.

This has been a big week for AB 32.

First, a leading environmental entrepreneur and the head of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce reported that AB 32 has been a key factor in bringing major clean technology investment into California. More than 50% than the year before.

Some projections are that the worldwide revenue from clean technologies could reach more than two hundred and fifty billion dollars within 10 years. AB 32 helps to make sure California is well-positioned to be the leader on clean tech the way we are with high tech and bio tech.

Also this week a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Redefining Progress says that if implemented properly, AB 32 will help reduce cases of respiratory illnesses like asthma and bronchitis, improving the quality of life for thousands of Californians and reducing health care costs by as much as five billion dollars.

This is on top of the benefits to the state’s agriculture and tourism industries that come from blunting global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions in California to 1990 levels by the year 2020.

Finally this week the staff of the California Air Resources Board released their draft plan on the implementation of AB 32.

Much of that draft is very preliminary and a lot of details still need to be filled in over the next six months. But there is reason for optimism from the road map the Air Resources Board has outlined, including an achievable, real world goal of reducing greenhouse gases by as much as 169 million metric tons by the year 2020.