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Washington State Voters Uphold Climate Commitment Act

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10 Nov, 2024

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

In the election held November 5, voters in Washington state upheld one of the biggest climate laws in the U.S. against challenges made by Republicans.

Voters decided against a conservative repeal effort for the Climate Commitment Act, which was first signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021. The law set up a state cap-and-invest program that limits greenhouse gas emissions and raises money for climate change resiliency and environmental restoration.

The program works by setting a limit on emissions for the state, and businesses have to buy allowances to cover their emissions. As the state’s Department of Ecology explained, the program is a sealed-bid auction where businesses submit their bids, but the highest bidder doesn’t necessarily win all the allowances.

“Instead, participants can choose to submit a single bid for all their desired allowances, or a series of bids for groups of allowances at different prices,” the department explained. “The bids are then automatically sorted in order of bid price, starting with the highest bid, and allocated to each bidder in that order. Once all the allowances are accounted for, the lowest bid that successfully won allowances is the price that all bidders pay.”

From there, anyone who bid lower than the lowest successful bid has to buy allowances from other participants. As The Associated Press reported, each allowance accounts for 1 metric ton of emissions.

The cap, or number of available allowances, is designed to decrease over time in order to help Washington continue to decrease emissions and reach its climate goals for 2030 (with emissions cut to 45% of 1990 levels), 2040 (70%) and 2050 (95%).

As the Washington State Standard reported, the law helped raise $1.82 billion in 2023 alone. The first auction in 2024 raised $136 million, and another auction is set for June 2025.

However, this year, a ballot initiative was added in Washington to repeal the act, with those who supported repealing the law arguing that it was creating a “hidden gas tax” and raising costs for gas and energy without providing meaningful environmental contributions. As The Associated Press reported, the state’s highest average gas price per gallon was $5.54 in February 2023, before the auctions began.

Those against the ballot initiative argued that fuel and energy costs could still remain high even if the law was repealed while also depleting a source of revenue for climate resilience and environmental protection and restoration efforts.

According to The Seattle Times, the repeal effort failed significantly, with 61.7% voting no on repealing the Climate Commitment Act at the time of writing.

Washington is the second state to enact such a law, following California. In Canada, Québec also has a similar program, and all three governments are planning to discuss linking their cap-and-invest initiatives. California and Québec linked their programs in 2014.

The vote to retain Washington’s Climate Commitment Act puts a spotlight on local and state actions to curb the worst effects of climate change and protect the environment in the face of a second presidency under Donald Trump, who was officially called as the winner on November 6.

Cars line up for the Bainbridge Island ferry at the Seattle Ferry Terminal in Seattle, Washington as vessels were in the process of converting from diesel to electric on Jan. 25, 2024. Annie Barker for The Washington Post via Getty Images

“Trump’s victory presents a real obstacle in the global fight against climate change. Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States will almost certainly step back from global and domestic efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increasing fossil fuel production,” Alice Hill, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and member of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group, said in a statement. 

“However, this outcome does not spell the be-all and end-all for climate action in the United States,” Hill added. “The power of state-level action should not be undermined, with significant progress made at sub-national level in some states. Local political and regulatory intervention will be critical in the fight for a healthier planet — with or without support from the Trump administration.”

The post Washington State Voters Uphold Climate Commitment Act appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Australian Open exceeds single-use waste reduction targets

Australian Open exceeds single-use waste reduction targets

Single-use waste reduction targets have been exceeded at this year’s Australian Open, with Tennis Australia’s projection of 100,000 reusable items washed increased by almost 37,000.

Through the partnership between Sustainability Victoria and Tennis Australia, thousands of reusable cups, made by Victorian company bettercup, replaced single-use cups in the Courtside Bar and bars around Garden Square.

With additional reusable cups, bowls and plates served by vendors, the event saw a record-breaking 136,932 items washed for reuse, nearly doubling the result from last year’s event.

During the three-week tournament, the dishwashing team from Green My Plate collected, washed and returned over 69,000 bettercups alone, representing 552 kg of single-use cups avoided.

Matt Genever, Sustainability Victoria CEO, said, “It’s fantastic that so many people embraced the reusable cups at AO25, diverting waste from landfill and reducing their environmental impact.

“The simplicity of the model was key to its success. Patrons enjoyed their drinks in the reusable cups then dropped them at clearly marked collection points for washing.

“The reusable bettercups will also be repurposed for other events across Victoria, providing a long-term solution to waste reduction.”

The reusables bin at the Australian Open 2025 (AO25). Image: Supplied.

Tennis Australia’s Director of Sustainability, Matthew Nicholas, said, “We’re proud of the steps we’re taking to reduce single-use consumption at the Australian Open.

“On top of the almost 137,000 single-use items diverted from waste streams through the AO Reusables program, we recycled over 74 tonnes of glass and 64 tonnes of cardboard. We also tackled more challenging tournament-specific waste streams, sending approximately 16,000 tennis ball tubes and 5 km of nylon racquet string offcuts to dedicated recycling pilots.”

Sustainability Victoria will continue to support Tennis Australia in its future sustainability strategy as Victoria transitions to a circular economy with less waste and emissions.

Top image: Supplied.

Climate Zero and Carbon Neutral partner to reach net zero

Climate Zero and Carbon Neutral partner to reach net zero

A new partnership between Climate Zero and Carbon Neutral brings carbon accounting and offsets together, making sustainability gains easier for Australian businesses.

The partnership means businesses using Climate Zero’s carbon accounting software to measure, reduce and report on emissions can now also offset from the platform, making it easier for businesses of all sizes to progress their sustainability goals.

Climate Zero Managing Director Tai Lennon said the partnership reflected the company’s mission to remove barriers between businesses and net zero.

“Like anything, corporate sustainability is easier with the right tools and support. We’ve been helping businesses measure and reduce emissions for more than 15 years and now, with Carbon Neutral’s partnership, they can easily compare, choose and purchase high-integrity carbon credits and track their impact — all within our platform,” Lennon said.

Carbon Neutral CEO Phil Ireland agreed and said the partnership was a natural collaboration that made it easier for businesses to have a positive impact.

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The partnership is said to reflect the need for a multi-faceted approach to corporate sustainability because of greenhouse gas emissions already locked into the atmosphere, requiring sequestering and nature-based regeneration.

“While reducing emissions remains the top priority to help our economy shift from depletion to regeneration, there will always be residual emissions that an organisation simply cannot reduce,” Lennon said.

“We’ve done our research and partnered with Carbon Neutral because we have seen first-hand the impact their projects are having not just to generate carbon credits but also to restore native landscapes, preserve biodiversity, return land to Traditional Owners and permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere.

“Our partnership is based on trust and integrity, because if you’re serious about reducing emissions, your offsets should be as real as your commitments.”

Image caption: Carbon Neutral CEO Phil Ireland with Climate Zero Managing Director Tai Lennon and Chief Product Officer Jess Symes.

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