June 23, 2022
on behalf of:
The Center for Human Rights and Environment
The Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development
Hello, my name is Jorge Daniel Taillant, I am the Executive Director of the Center for Human Rights and Environment and I am speaking here today on behalf of CHRE, IGSD, 350 Silicon Valley, and the Climate Reality Project California State Coalition.
The IPCC tells us that our GHG emissions reductions targets are off. We are on the verge of surpassing 1.5C of warming and triggering irreversible climate tipping points from which we will not recover. The first message to CARB is that themarker in the sand is now 2030, not 2045, not even 2035.
Governor Newsom recently correctly identified that we have undervalued the importance of reducing climate super pollutants. Decarbonization, while important, is SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH.
The second message is that we must:
More aggressively reduce methane, 86 times more severe for climate than CO2.
More aggressively reduce HFC refrigerants, 100s-1000s times more polluting.
More aggressively reduce black carbon emissions which:
- impact health,
- melt glaciers, and in turn:
- lead to sea level rise and severe weather events.
The third message is that we must cease allowing GHGs emissions justified through offsets and that we carefully re-consider reliance on carbon capture and storage technologies where emissions reductions numbers simply do not add up.
The fourth message is that we can more effectively reduce super pollutants while concurrently tackling environmental injustice, improving public health, advancing energy efficiency, raising the economies of low-income households and improving the quality of life of those that need it most.
The world needs:
- the most aggressive,
- the most far reaching and
- the most effective California Climate Scoping Plan ever.
In the words Secretary Blumenfeld today, we don’t have an option for failure. Let’s do even more.
Thank you.