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What’s Being Done in the U.S.

While meaningful U.S. federal policy on climate change has not been forthcoming, states have taken the lead on developing climate policies and initiatives. States are setting emission reduction targets, mandating investment in renewables and energy efficiency, developing plans to mitigate climate change, and designing greenhouse gas cap-and-trade programs. State governments cite a variety of reasons for action, including promoting economic development, reducing vulnerability to fluctuating energy prices, and preventing damage to the states’ resources from climate change.

• States often function as “policy laboratories,” developing initiatives that can serve as models for federal action. This has been especially true with environmental regulation—many of the most prominent federal environmental laws have been based on state models.
• States can have a significant impact on emissions, because many individual states emit high levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Texas, for example, emits more than France, while California’s emissions exceed those of Brazil. 
• State actions are also important because states have primary jurisdiction over many areas—such as electric generation, agriculture, and land use—that are critical to addressing climate change.

• States that enact climate change policy almost always do so with long-term economic well being in mind. Many states are concerned with the toll climate change is projected to take on their economies, many of which are closely tied to their natural resources. Coastal states consider the impact of rising sea levels, agricultural states worry about lost productivity, and the dry Western states are alarmed by the prospect of worsening droughts.
• Many states look at policies that address climate change as economic opportunities: to produce and sell alternative fuels, to become renewable energy exporters, to attract high-tech business, or to sell carbon emission reduction credits. Some states will be better able to take advantage of these opportunities than others, and many are concerned about the economic impacts of climate policy.
• In part because reducing GHG emissions can deliver multiple benefits, it has often been possible for states and regions to build broad coalitions around GHG reduction policies. Climate change has, in fact, often been a bipartisan issue in the states, with Democratic, Republican, and Independent governors signing climate change legislation. Learn more about how regional initiatives have benefited U.S. states and regions below.

Regional programs can be more efficient than programs at the individual state level, as they encompass a broader geographic area, eliminate duplication of work, and create more uniform regulatory environments. Regional initiatives across the U.S. are addressing climate change and clean energy. As of mid-2008, a total of 23 states are participating in the design of three separate regional cap-and-trade systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. View a map of participating states and provinces to see if your state is involved in a regional initiative.

• Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord
  • On November 15, 2007, six states and one Canadian Province established the Midwestern Regional Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord. View a map of participating states and provinces.
  • Under the Accord, members agree to establish regional GHG reduction targets, including a long-term target of 60-80% below current emissions levels, and develop a multi-sector cap-and-trade system to help meet the targets.
  • The Accord represents the first Midwestern regional agreement among U.S. states to collectively reduce GHG emissions.
  • Six member states emit nearly 14% of U.S. emissions (close to Germany, the 7^th largest emitter).
  • Participants will also establish a GHG emissions reductions tracking system and implement other policies, such as low-carbon fuel standards, to aid in reducing emissions.
  • The Governors of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as the Premier of the Canadian Province of Manitoba, signed the Accord as full participants; the Governors of Indiana, Ohio, and South Dakota joined the agreement as observers. 
• Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
  • Ten Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states have agreed to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the first cap-and-trade system in the nation to cover carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from regional power plants. View a map of participating states and provinces.
  • RGGI sets a cap on CO₂ emissions from power plants, and allows sources to trade emissions allowances.  The program will begin by capping emissions at current levels in 2009, and then reducing emissions 10 percent by 2019.
  • RGGI was initiated in 2003 by New York Governor Pataki
  • The ten member states (see Figure 1) represent 10% CO₂ of U.S. emissions, equivalent to the 8^th largest emitter in the world.
  • RGGI’s cap-and-trade program may later link to similar programs in California or other Western states (Western Climate Initiative) and in the European Union.
• Western Climate Initiative
  • In February 2007, the governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington signed an agreement establishing the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a joint effort to reduce GHG emissions and address climate change.
  • Today, Utah, Montana, and the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia, Manitoba, and Quebec have also joined the agreement. Other U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and Mexican border states participate as observers. View a map of participating states and provinces.
  • Under the agreement, the WCI states and provinces jointly set a regional emissions target of a 15 percent reduction below 2005 levels by 2020, and are set to launch the design of a market-based system to aid in meeting the target soon.
  • Without counting Canadian Provinces, WCI members are responsible for over 12% of U.S. emissions; comparable to Germany (the 7^th largest emitter).
  • The states will also set up an emissions registry and tracking system. The initiative builds on work already undertaken individually by the participating states, each of which has already set its own emissions reductions goals, as well as two existing regional agreements: the Southwest Climate Change Initiative of 2006, which includes Arizona and New Mexico, and the West Coast Governors' Global Warming Initiative of 2003, which includes California, Oregon, and Washington.

State action on climate change is happening in all corners of the country – regardless of whether or not a state is involved in a formal initiative. Click on one of the examples below to learn more about some of the most significant state actions on climate change:

• Massachusetts Enacts Global Warming Solutions Act (August 19, 2008)
• Florida Governor Signs Energy and Climate Change Bill (June 26, 2008)
• Utah Announces Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goal (June 20, 2008)
• Ohio Appropriates $150 Million for Alternative Energy and Coal Research (June 12, 2008)
• Ohio Adopts Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (May 1, 2008)
• Hawaii Passes Range of Climate and Energy Bills (May-July, 2008)
• Kansas Rejects Power Plant due to Carbon Emissions – (October 18, 2007)
• Alaska Establishes Climate Change Sub-Cabinet (September 14, 2007)

States across the U.S. are acting both individually and together to start addressing the problems of global climate change.  State action continues to provide a network of “policy laboratories” in the U.S., capable of making an impact now, and providing a foundation for federal policy in the near future.

Ultimately, climate change is a global problem that will demand global action, including national action in the United States. State and regional action cannot substitute for a coordinated national response, but it can help provide the foundation for that response.

Learn more about the actions states are taking to address climate change at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change