North America states, provinces announce GHG goal

New York, 23 August: The Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a group of eight US states and Canadian provinces, yesterday set a regional target to reduce greenhouse gases by 15% by 2020. They pledged to establish market mechanisms within a year to help them reach their target, which is measured against 2005 emissions.

The WCI members did not set longer-term goals, but stated that "science suggests" that lowering the risk of dangerous climate change "will require worldwide reductions between 50% and 85% in carbon dioxide emissions from current levels by 2050".

The WCI members are the US states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba. Their efforts are being observed by four US states (Colorado, Kansas, Nevada and Wyoming), as well as three provinces (Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan) and one Mexican state (Sonora). They may look to join the WCI in the future.

All WCI members have already set individual goals and the regional goal reflects their "combined impact", the states said. Other entities seeking to join must have economy-wide GHG goals "consistent with the regional goal", the WCI stated.

WCI members will participate in a regional GHG registry. By the end of August 2008, they will establish "multi-sector" market mechanisms, including power and industrial plants, energy supply, transportation, agriculture, forestry and waste management. In contrast to that economy-wide approach, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), involving 10 north-eastern US states, will focus only on power plants when it begins in 2009.

"Climate change is another important national and international issue where the US federal government is choosing to delay action," said Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. "It has been left up to the states and provinces of North America to recognise the critical need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide the solution not just rhetoric. WCI members are leading the fight against climate change."