Click here to read the full article at New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/science/earth/in-california-a-grand-experiment-to-rein-in-climate-change.html?_r=0
A Grand Experiment to Rein In Climate Change
By FELICITY BARRINGER
LEGGETT, Calif. — Braced against a steep slope, Robert Hrubes cinched his measuring tape around the trunk of one tree after another, barking out diameters like an auctioneer announcing bids. “Twelve point two!” “Fourteen point one!”
Mr. Hrubes’s task, a far cry from forestry of the past, was to calculate
how much carbon could be stored within the tanoak, madrone and redwood
trees in that plot. Every year or so, other foresters will return to
make sure the trees are still standing and doing their job.
Such audits will be crucial as California embarks on its grand experiment in reining in climate change.
On Jan. 1, it will become the first state in the nation to charge
industries across the economy for the greenhouse gases they emit. Under
the system, known as “cap and trade,”
the state will set an overall ceiling on those emissions and assign
allowable emission amounts for individual polluters. A portion of these
so-called allowances will be allocated to utilities, manufacturers and
others; the remainder will be auctioned off.
Over time, the number of allowances issued by the state will be reduced, which should force a reduction in emissions.
Click here to read the full article at New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/science/earth/in-california-a-grand-experiment-to-rein-in-climate-change.html?_r=0
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