WCI

Western States Lead the Way (Without Compromising the Planet)

Zion Canyon and the unassuming Virgin River that created it. Utah is a member of the WCI.
Fri, 08/06/2010 - 3:15pm
Zion Canyon and the unassuming Virgin River that created it. Utah is a member of the WCI. I recently returned from a long-awaited trip to Zion and Bryce canyons in Utah, two geologically fabulous places carved largely by the forces of rivers and rain. A few major climate developments met me back at the office: federal climate legislation had died, western states and provinces in the US and Canada took one step closer to addressing climate change despite federal inaction, and the great Steve Schneider (who taught me and so many others that being a scientist doesn't mean taking a backseat

Comments to the WCI on the Offset System Essential Elements Draft Recommendations Paper

Wednesday, May 12, 2010
International Rivers Submission to the WCI Offset Committee International Rivers provides the following comments regarding the WCI Offsets Committee's "Offset System Essential Elements Draft Recommendations Paper" issued in April 2010. We believe that the WCI's first priority must be to ensure the environmental integrity of the emissions cap and any offsets that may be used to achieve the regional cap. Our core concerns are that the WCI develop processes to ensure that offsets deliver reductions that are real, additional, verifiable and enforceable by WCI partners, and resul

As Negotiations Drag, Subnational Leaders Step Up

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California addressing the 194-nation U.N. climate talks
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 3:08pm
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California addressing the 194-nation U.N. climate talks United Nations As the clock winds down, and countries are nowhere near an agreement, subnational leaders from Canada, Nigeria, France and Algeria, led by California's "Gubernator," announced today in a press conference at Bella that they plan to advance the concept of a new regional coalition to fast track the results of the Copenhagen negotiations. Already, California is engaged in the Western Climate Initiative and has underway its own cap-and-trade program (which, good news, recentl

Western Regional Climate Legislation

California Capitol Building
California Capitol Building © 2005 David Monniaux As California and the Western US develop their own global warming programs, carbon offsets, and the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in particularly, have been proposed as a cost-containment mechanism for industries transitioning into cleaner technologies. International Rivers works with local state partners like the Western Climate Advocates Network to warn against the impacts and abuses of the CDM, and to promote solutions that benefit local communities rather than rewarding polluters. Western Climate Initiative Carbon of

Comments to the WCI on the Offset System Essential Elements White Paper

Friday, August 21, 2009
Task 1: Offset System Essential Elements International Rivers Submission to the WCI Offset Committee International Rivers provides the following comments regarding the WCI Offsets Committee White Paper on Task 1: Offset System Essential Elements, Offset Definition and Eligibility Criteria. International Rivers submitted comments on offset quality and quantity criteria on June 19th. These comments build on the concepts previously expressed by directly responding to particular sections of the Offsets White Paper. International Rivers appreciates the comprehensive approach taken in defi

Comments to the Western Climate Initiative on Offsets

Friday, June 19, 2009
Quantity and Quality Criteria for Offsets Under the WCIInternational Rivers submission to the WCI Offset Committee and the Cap Setting and Allowance Distribution (CSAD) Committee International Rivers provides the following comments regarding the Offset Limit White Paper and the overall offsets protocol as proposed in the Working Plan. International Rivers is in a unique position to offer comments on the WCI's offset program due to our having closely monitored the development and implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), by far the world's largest offset scheme, over the past dec

I'm Just a Bill

Mon, 03/02/2009 - 3:43pm
While US federal climate activities were full of hope last week, the mood on the west coast turned sour. A report released by the Western Business Roundtable (WBR) in late February, for all intents and purposes, attempted to thwart efforts by several Western Climate Intiative (WCI) states. These include New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, which were in the midst of heated debates over climate bills in their state houses. Among other dire warnings and false assumptions, the WBR report claimed that the cap-and-trade program would prolong the recession, drive away investment, and do nothin

WCI Offsets Offer a Way Out for Polluters

Wed, 11/19/2008 - 12:44pm
Leonardo DiCaprio. The Rolling Stones. Now add seven western state governors and four Canadian premiers. These are the most recent riders of the carbon offsets bandwagon. Carbon offsets play a central role in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), a carbon Cap-and-Trade scheme first introduced in July, that includes seven U.S. states (Arizona, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec). When I first heard about the WCI, I had just returned from a wilderness leadership training. So I'
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