Climate Solutions will Require California Creativity
Summary
Successful programs like Californias Low Carbon Fuel Standard and RenovaBio remind us that not all climate answers emanate from Capitol Hill. A survey from 2019 finds that nearly 70 percent of Americans would not be willing to pay even ten bucks more a month in higher electric bills even if the money was going to fight climate change. Ostensibly the Summit’s goal is to “accelerate action” toward the Paris Agreement, but the real long-term challenge is to change the hearts and minds of average citizens in the developed world. This mix is working and, according to the GHG Management Institute, California’s LCFS program has “successfully achieved a 5% decrease in the carbon intensity of transportation fuel (between 2011 and 2018).” The Brazilian sugarcane industry is committed to continuous improvement and understands sugarcane will not only continue to help California meet its ambitious goals but also play a role in the sustainable aviation fuel opportunities to come. Successful programs like the LCFS and RenovaBio should remind us that all the climate answers don’t emanate from Capitol Hill, but I remain optimistic that over the long haul, federal policymakers will see the value in following California’s lead.