We must take action NOW!

Earlier this week I was at the California capital, sitting in a packed hearing room waiting to testify about my bill, SB 31, authored by Senator Fran Pavley. Before SB 31 came up, another climate related bill, authored by Senator Dutton, was heard.  That bill proposes to delay the implementation of AB 32: The California Global Warming Solutions Act, passed in 2006. Interestingly, Senator Dutton and every single person testifying in favor of his bill took special care to say that they support AB 32, and think that solving global warming is really important.

They support AB 32.

They just don't want it to take effect.

Run that by me again?

There was a parade of small business representatives expressing support for Senator Dutton's bill, because they feel that AB 32 will hurt the economy and destroy jobs, thus can't afford to implement it right now.  Of course, I absolutely agree that many people across the state and across the country are hurting right now and we need to do everything possible to make sure they don't fall off the cliff of poverty. My boyfriend works for a small business that did a round of lay-offs and pay-cuts in November, and is now hoping to cripple through, so I understand the fear of wondering if you're going to get the paycheck you need to cover the rent next month. But there's a couple things I think Senator Dutton probably didn't mention when he called and asked those people to spend their day in Sacramento for his bill:

1. No regulations under AB 32 have taken effect yet, so the economic pain we are feeling right now is completely unrelated to our efforts to stop global warming.
2. Most of the regulations under AB 32 won't take effect until 2012, so arguing that the economy is bad right now so we need to delay right now doesn't make sense.
3. While other economic forces brewing over the past decade have clearly been harmful to our economy, policies which have reduced greenhouse gas pollution in California over the past several decades have actually saved Californian's money and created jobs. According to Next10, an independent, nonpartisan organization, 1.5 million jobs would be created in CA from investments in renewable and energy efficiency.  Implementing AB 32 will create hundreds of thousands more much needed jobs.
4. Doing nothing has a cost too.

Dutton and his supporters acknowledge that AB 32 is important, acknowledge that we must fight global warming, but then create a false choice between fighting global warming and having a healthy economy.  In reality, we know that procrastinating even more and letting global warming accelerate will be extremely costly.  The floods and widespread wildfires, rising sea levels, and decreased water supplies will cost California billions of dollars a year.  Billions.  That will certainly not be good for small businesses or for Californians who support small businesses.

So while I sympathize with all those facing tough economic times, I'm sorry, but delaying action on global warming won't help.  It will only hurt.