California Fast Track

Listed as the world's 10th worst emitter of greenhouse gases, with China as the worst offender, the state of California is moving toward lowering carbon emissions to 1990 levels (20 percent) by the year 2020 with law AB 32, which was enacted in 2006.

According to Gov. Schwarzenegger's fact sheet, “These targets, unmatched in America, have established California as an international leader in efforts to solve the global climate crisis.”

This means big, swift changes on the horizon to implement and fast-track environmental measures. A portion of the emissions cuts will be met through green construction efforts, with requirements to cut electricity consumption in government and commercial buildings 20 percent by 2015. Further, recent updates of Title 24 of California's green building code (established in 1978) will now require new buildings to have an energy efficiency increase that's 20 percent above levels set in 2005.

These changes will bring California closer than any other state toward meeting the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program requirements, and will go into effect Aug. 1. Other advances are California's Green Chemistry bills, signed into law last September, that include eliminating products that are both manufactured in California and outside the state that contribute to all types of pollution.

Non-biodegradable products and those containing toxins and heavy metals will be prohibited from being imported and sold in the state. This may present a problem with Chinese-made products, and especially the toy industry, with China now manufacturing more than 90 percent of all toys sold in the United States. Ambitious? Sure. Doable? With concerted effort, say California lawmakers. While studies are being completed and certain parts of these laws will begin going into very soon, right now is the hashing period for the biggest developments, which will occur in 2010 and 2011.