Western Climate Initiative

Last updated
Western Climate Initiative, Inc.
FormerlyWestern Regional Climate Action Initiative
Type 501(c)(3) organization
FoundedFebruary 26, 2007;16 years ago (2007-02-26) in Washington, D.C., United States
(Reincorporated 2011)
Founders
Headquarters1107 Ninth Street, Suite 1070,
Sacramento, California
,
United States
Area served
 North America
Key people
Jason Hollett, Chair
Liane Randolph, Vice-Chair
Members
Website www.wci-inc.org

Western Climate Initiative, Inc. (WCI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation which administers the shared emissions trading market between the American state of California and the Canadian province of Quebec as well as separately administering the individual emissions trading systems in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia and American state of Washington. It also provides administrative, technical and infrastructure services to support the implementation of cap-and-trade programs in other North American jurisdictions. The organization was originally founded in February 2007 by the governors of five western states with the goal of developing a multi-sector, market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; it was incorporated in its current form in 2011. [1]

Contents

Structure

Since its reincorporation in 2011 as a non-profit corporation, WCI is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the participating jurisdictions. Each jurisdiction appoints two voting directors to the Board. [2]

PositionNameJurisdictionNotes
ChairJason HollettFlag of Nova Scotia.svg  Nova Scotia Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Environment and Climate Change
Vice-ChairLiane RandolphFlag of California.svg  California Chair, California Air Resources Board
TreasurerJean-Yves BenoitFlag of Quebec.svg  Quebec Director General of Carbon Regulation and Emissions Data, Ministry of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change
SecretaryLilani KumaranayakeFlag of Nova Scotia.svg  Nova Scotia Executive Director of Fiscal Policy, Economics and Budgetary Planning, Department of Finance
Additional Voting DirectorsJared BlumenfeldFlag of California.svg  California Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency
Kim RicardFlag of Quebec.svg  Quebec Director of Carbon Market Division, Ministry of the Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change
Laura WatsonFlag of Washington.svg  Washington Director, Washington State Department of Ecology
Luke MartlandFlag of Washington.svg  Washington Climate Commitment Act Implementation Manager, Washington State Department of Ecology

History

The Western Climate Initiative was founded as the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative on February 26, 2007, by the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington. The founding agreement stated the goal of the WRCAI was to evaluate and implement ways to reduce their states's emissions of greenhouse gases and achieve related co-benefits. [3] These states and future participants in the initiative (collectively known as WCI "partners") also committed to set an overall regional goal to reduce emissions (set in August 2007 as 15 percent below 2005 emission levels by 2020), [4] participate in a cross-border greenhouse gas registry to consistently measure and track emissions, and adopt clean tailpipe standards for passenger vehicles. By July 2008, the initiative had expanded to include two more U.S. states (Montana and Utah) and four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec). Together, these partners comprised 20 percent of the U.S. GDP and 76 percent of the Canadian GDP. [5]

Goals and design

The most ambitious and controversial objective of the WCI was to develop a multi-sector, market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Detailed design recommendations for a regional cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions were released by the WCI in September 2008 and July 2010. [6] By December 2011, California and Quebec adopted regulations based on these recommendations. (The WCI has no regulatory authority of its own.) Key administrative aspects of the regional cap-and-trade program are being implemented in 2012. Power plants, refineries, and other large emitters must comply with the cap in 2013. Other greenhouse gas emission sources, such as suppliers of transportation fuels, must comply with the cap beginning in 2015. Among other things, the Western Climate Initiative lays the foundation for a North American cap-and-trade program, not only in its design and implementation, but in its potential acceptance of greenhouse gas emissions offsets from projects across North America.

Criticisms of WCI

Some observers[ who? ] described the entire project as greenwash designed to avoid committing to the Kyoto Protocol, and cited evidence that much more drastic cuts, up to 40%, could be achieved without affecting investment yield in equities, a good indicator that such cuts would not affect economic prospects in the economy as a whole. [7]

Partners vs. observers

Several U.S. partners, although active participants in the design of the program, announced in 2010 that they would either delay or not implement the program in their jurisdictions. The partnership was therefore streamlined to include only California and the four Canadian provinces actively working to implement the program. As of January 2012, regulations have not been issued by British Columbia, Manitoba, or Ontario, although a carbon tax in British Columbia will be increasing to $30/tonne of CO2 equivalents in July 2012. [8] Several WCI partners also remain active in the International Carbon Action Partnership, an international coordinating body for several such regional carbon trading bodies.

Alberta and Saskatchewan object to cap-and-trade and in July 2008 called WCI's plan a "cash grab by some of Canada's resource-poor provinces." [9] However, Alberta already had legislated its own emissions trading system for large emitters in 2007. The objections seem to be more related to the reporting and disclosure requirements that would be much higher for a North American project than for one based strictly in Alberta. Some of the states that withdrew by late 2011 also intended to develop oil shale, hydraulic fracturing of natural gas and coal resources that would have broad impacts beyond climate on water, including more ocean acidification.

Until late 2011, the initiative included two types of participants: partners and observers. [10]

For several years, the partners were the U.S. states of California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, and the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. All states except California and Quebec withdrew in 2011. See below: Membership changes.

The observers included at various times Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Wyoming, the province of Saskatchewan (which objects to WCI plans for a cap and trade system [9] ), and the Mexican states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas.

Membership changes

As of December 2011, the remaining WCI partners were California and the Canadian provinces British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec.

After British Columbia ceased participation in emissions trading in 2018, it remained a participating jurisdiction under WCI by-laws until amendments were made. [27] [28]

As of 2022, the participating WCI jurisdictions are the American states of California and Washington; and the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Quebec.

See also

Related Research Articles

Emissions trading is a market-based approach to controlling pollution by providing economic incentives for reducing the emissions of pollutants. The concept is also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS). Carbon emission trading for CO2 and other greenhouse gases has been introduced in China, the European Union and other countries as a key tool for climate change mitigation. Other schemes include sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity sector in Canada</span>

The electricity sector in Canada has played a significant role in the economic and political life of the country since the late 19th century. The sector is organized along provincial and territorial lines. In a majority of provinces, large government-owned integrated public utilities play a leading role in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. Ontario and Alberta have created electricity markets in the last decade to increase investment and competition in this sector of the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative</span>

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, pronounced "Reggie") is the first mandatory market-based program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States. RGGI is a cooperative effort among the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia to cap and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power sector. RGGI compliance obligations apply to fossil-fueled power plants 25 megawatts (MW) and larger within the 12-state region. North Carolina is currently considering joining RGGI.

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. AB32 was co-authored by then-Assemblymember Fran Pavley and then-Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Nunez and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 27, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy policy of Canada</span> About Canadas federal and provincial energy policies

Canada has access to all main sources of energy including oil and gas, coal, hydropower, biomass, solar, geothermal, wind, marine and nuclear. It is the world's second largest producer of uranium, third largest producer of hydro-electricity, fourth largest natural gas producer, and the fifth largest producer of crude oil. In 2006, only Russia, the People's Republic of China, the United States and Saudi Arabia produce more total energy than Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Climate Registry</span> Non-profit organization

The Climate Registry (TCR) is a non-profit organization governed by U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories. TCR designs and operates voluntary and compliance greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting programs globally, and assists organizations in measuring, reporting and verifying the carbon in their operations in order to manage and reduce it. TCR also consults with governments nationally and internationally on all aspects of GHG measurement, reporting, and verification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States</span> Climate changing gases from the North American country

The United States produced 5.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2020, the second largest in the world after greenhouse gas emissions by China and among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person. In 2019 China is estimated to have emitted 27% of world GHG, followed by the United States with 11%, then India with 6.6%. In total the United States has emitted a quarter of world GHG, more than any other country. Annual emissions are over 15 tons per person and, amongst the top eight emitters, is the highest country by greenhouse gas emissions per person. However, the IEA estimates that the richest decile in the US emits over 55 tonnes of CO2 per capita each year. Because coal-fired power stations are gradually shutting down, in the 2010s emissions from electricity generation fell to second place behind transportation which is now the largest single source. In 2020, 27% of the GHG emissions of the United States were from transportation, 25% from electricity, 24% from industry, 13% from commercial and residential buildings and 11% from agriculture. In 2021, the electric power sector was the second largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 25% of the U.S. total. These greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to climate change in the United States, as well as worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord</span> Regional agreement to combat climate change

The Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord is a regional agreement by six governors of states in the US Midwest who are members of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA), and the premier of one Canadian province, whose purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to combat climate change. The accord has been inactive since March 2010, when an advisory group presented a plan for action to the association with a scheduled implementation date of January 2012. Signatories to the accord are the US states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, and the Canadian Province of Manitoba. Observers of the accord are Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota, as well as the Canadian Province of Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon emission trading</span> An approach to limit climate change by creating a market with limited allowances for CO2 emissions

Emission trading (ETS) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG) is a form of carbon pricing; also known as cap and trade (CAT) or carbon pricing. It is an approach to limit climate change by creating a market with limited allowances for emissions. This can lower competitiveness of fossil fuels and accelerate investments into low carbon sources of energy such as wind power and photovoltaics. Fossil fuels are the main driver for climate change. They account for 89% of all CO2 emissions and 68% of all GHG emissions.

In Canada, motor vehicles are primarily powered by gasoline or diesel fuel. Other energy sources include ethanol, biodiesel, propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), electric batteries charged from an external source, and hydrogen. Canada, like most countries, has excise taxes and other taxes on gasoline, diesel, and other liquid and gas motor fuels, and also taxes electricity at various administrative levels. Most provinces and territories in Canada also have taxes on these motor fuels, and some metropolitan areas such as Montreal, Greater Vancouver, and Victoria impose additional taxes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan 2001</span> New England Climate Change Action Plan 2001

The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG-ECP) Climate Change Action Plan 2001 is a resolution adopted on August 28, 2001, by the New England Governors and the Eastern Canadian Premiers. The resolution calls for a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, at least 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, 35-45% below 1990 levels by 2030, and a 75-85% reduction of 2001 levels by 2050.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Canada</span> Emissions, impacts and responses of Canada related to climate change

Climate change in Canada has had large impacts on the country's environment and landscapes. These events are likely to become even more frequent and severe in the future due to the continued release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The number of climate change–related events, such as the 2021 British Columbia Floods and an increasing number of forest fires, has become an increasing concern over time. Canada's annual average temperature over land has warmed by 1.7 degrees Celsius since 1948. The rate of warming is even higher in Canada's north, the Prairies, and northern British Columbia. The country's precipitation has increased in recent years and extreme weather events have become more common.

The International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) was founded in 2007 by more than 15 government representatives as an international cooperative forum, bringing together states and sub-national jurisdictions that have implemented or are planning to implement emissions trading systems (ETS). Then governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, stated at ICAP's founding ceremony:

"This first of its kind partnership will provide more incentives for clean-tech investment and economic growth while not letting polluters off the hook. And it will help renew the health of our planet."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change policy of the United States</span> Overview of the climate change policy of the United States of America

The climate change policy of the United States has major impacts on global climate change and global climate change mitigation. This is because the United States is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gasses in the world after China, and is among the countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions per person in the world. In total, the United States has emitted over 400 billion metric tons of greenhouse gasses, more than any country in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carbon fee and dividend</span> Variant of carbon tax that restricts revenue use to direct payments to the people

A carbon fee and dividend or climate income is a system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change. The system imposes a carbon tax on the sale of fossil fuels, and then distributes the revenue of this tax over the entire population as a monthly income or regular payment.

Commuter Challenge is a national, week long event in Canada and is held annually during the Canadian Environment Week. Formatted as a friendly competition between workplaces and Canadian municipalities, the national and host city coordinators announce winners based on the highest percent participation. The event has a strong workplace focus where employers promote the event in-house to support their employees in leaving their cars at home in favour of more sustainable commuter modes including walking, jogging, cycling, in-line skating, public transit, carpooling and remote work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green economy policies in Canada</span>

Green economy policies in Canada are policies that contribute to transitioning the Canadian economy to a more environmentally sustainable one. The green economy can be defined as an economy, "that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities." Aspects of a green economy would include stable growth in income and employment that is driven by private and public investment into policies and actions that reduce carbon emissions, pollution and prevent the loss of biodiversity.

As the most populous state in the United States, California's climate policies influence both global climate change and federal climate policy. In line with the views of climate scientists, the state of California has progressively passed emission-reduction legislation.

Carbon pricing in Canada is implemented either as a regulatory fee or tax levied on the carbon content of fuels at the Canadian provincial, territorial or federal level. Provinces and territories of Canada are allowed to create their own system of carbon pricing as long as they comply with the minimum requirements set by the federal government; individual provinces and territories thus may have a higher tax than the federally mandated one but not a lower one. Currently, all provinces and territories are subject to a carbon pricing mechanism, either by an in-province program or by one of two federal programs. As of April 2023 the federal minimum tax is set at CA$65 per tonne of CO2 equivalent, set to increase to CA$170 in 2030.

<i>Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act</i> Canadian law

The Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act is a Canadian federal law establishing a set of minimum national standards for carbon pricing in Canada to meet emission reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. It was passed as Part 5 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1 – an omnibus budget bill – during the 42nd Parliament of Canada. The law came into force immediately upon receiving royal assent on June 21, 2018.

References

  1. ↑ "CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION OF WESTERN CLIMATE INITIATIVE, INC" (PDF). Documents. Western Climate Initiative. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "By-Laws of Western Climate Initiative, Inc" (PDF). Western Climate Initiative. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "WCI Governors' Agreement".
  4. ↑ "Emission Reduction Goal Aug 2007".
  5. ↑ "WCI Brochure (May 2010)".
  6. ↑ "General Documents".
  7. ↑ Strasser, Kurt A. (1 January 2011). Myths and Realities of Business Environmentalism: Good Works, Good Business Or Greenwash?. Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN   9780857933188 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ Strategy, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. "British Columbia's Carbon Tax - Province of British Columbia". www2.gov.bc.ca.
  9. 1 2 3 "Ontario to sign cap-and-trade climate plan".
  10. ↑ "Western Climate Initiative Update" (PDF). California Climate Change Portal. 2007-08-07. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-10-16. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  11. 1 2 "Milestones".
  12. ↑ Premier, Office of the (24 April 2007). "B.C. JOINS WESTERN REGIONAL CLIMATE ACTION INITIATIVE".
  13. ↑ "Huntsman Signs Global Warming Pact". KSL-TV . 2007-05-21. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  14. ↑ Carr, Matthew (2007-06-13). "Manitoba to Join U.S. States in Program to Cut Carbon Emissions". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
  15. ↑ News-Miner, Fairbanks Daily. "404 Error".{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  16. ↑ Bureau, MIKE DENNISON of the Missoulian State. "Governor releases goals on emissions".
  17. ↑ Québec, Services. "Communiqués diffusés le 24 april 2017 - Portail Québec".
  18. ↑ "Executive Order 2010-06, Governor's Policy on Climate Change" (PDF). www.azclimatechange.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-07-24.
  19. ↑ Roosevelt, Margot (30 June 2011). "California delays its carbon-trading program until 2013" – via LA Times.
  20. ↑ "Quebec Delays WCI Carbon Market Scheme". July 18, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Six US states leave the Western Climate Initiative" (November 18, 2011). S&P Global Platts. www.platts.com. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  22. ↑ "6 States Pull Out of Western Climate Initiative" (November 22, 2011). SustainableBusiness.com News. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  23. ↑ Jaccard, Mark; Dowlatabadi, Hadi (2011-06-09). "Six reasons to delay joining California's cap-and-trade program". Vancouver Sun . Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  24. ↑ Scotia, Communications Nova (May 11, 2018). "Nova Scotia Joins Western Climate Initiative Inc". News Releases.
  25. ↑ Scotia, Communications Nova (October 20, 2014). "Government of Nova Scotia". climatechange.novascotia.ca.
  26. ↑ "Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, 2018". Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
  27. ↑ "Minutes of the Board of Directors - Friday, February 9, 2018" (PDF). Western Climate Initiative. Mr. Rodriquez commented that while Mr. Lesiuk has resigned from the Board, British Columbia remains a Participating Jurisdiction and may choose to appoint new directors or participate more actively in the future.
  28. ↑ "By-Laws of Western Climate Initiative, Inc" (PDF). October 26, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2022. List of Western Climate Initiative, Inc's participating jurisdictions. Last updated March 23, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.