LINKS OF THE WEEK: Feb 12, 2024
Interesting stats on EVs and energy use in the US, developments in wind and tidal power, a plastic recycling microfactory, and an "unprecedented collapse" in EU fossil fuel generation.
This seems like it could be a relatively big deal – if Governor Newsom ends up passing it.
California legislators have passed the first bill in the US that will require large companies doing business in the state to disclose all emissions tied to their operations and supply chain.
As California is the largest economy in the US and the 5th largest in the entire world (!!!) this seems like it could be a relatively big deal if Governor Gavin Newsom signs it into law. According to Wikipedia, 10% of the world’s Fortune 1000 companies are based in California and that doesn’t include the companies that are based elsewhere but want to do business in the state. If California requires all these companies to provide their full emissions data, I imagine that will give the world a much better sense of who’s emitting what, where and why.
(Also: is it just me or is it just plain CRAZY that companies aren’t already required to disclose this information as a general rule? “It’s too hard!” doesn’t seem like a very good excuse. When emissions are demonstratively causing such harm to the environment, the companies creating them should be the ones responsible for tracking and reporting them – let alone paying for damages.)
Governor Newsom apparently hasn’t made his thoughts on the legislation publicly known so it’s not a given that he will sign it into law – especially since the California Chamber of Commerce has asked him to veto it. It will be interesting to what happens.
Read the full article here