USA: California’s first surgeon general on Covid: ‘Greatest collective trauma’ of a generation

Burke Harris, who resigned this month, said the pandemic is “probably the greatest collective trauma of our generation,” and she, like all Californians she was sworn to serve – will have a long road ahead processing the last two years.

Reflecting on her three years as surgeon general of the most populous US state, Burke Harris warned that “the health consequences of this pandemic will continue, even after the virus itself is contained.”

Read more at: California’s first surgeon general on Covid: ‘Greatest collective trauma’ of a generation | California | The Guardian

California mulls electric-car requirement for ride shares

Uber may be on the brink of another clash with California lawmakers.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Friday said that he was considering instituting a requirement that would force ride-share services to use electric vehicles.

“We have the power to regulate car share,” Garcetti told the Financial Times. “We can mandate, and are looking closely at mandating, that any of those vehicles in the future be electric.”

The measure would be a part of LA’s effort to slash its greenhouse gas emissions and reach carbon neutral status by 2050.

Read more at: California mulls electric-car requirement for ride shares

USA - California: Fires spread as Northern California deals with widespread power outages

As nearly 200,000 people remain under evacuation order from threat of wildfire, some of the millions of people in Northern California on track to get their electricity back may not have it restored before another possible round of shutoffs and debilitating winds.

Read more at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/california-wildfires-spread-power-outages-1.5337673

Natural disasters: South California shaken by 6.4 magnitude earthquake

Southern California shaken by 6.4 magnitude earthquake

Reed more at: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48876482

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The Netherlands - California Relations: 100,000 tulips headed to San Francisco — and they're free for the picking - by Michelle Robertson

San Francisco will get a pop of color and a taste of Dutch culture next week with the deposit of 100,000 tulips in Union Square.

March 1 is American Tulip Day, a celebration of American tulips grown from Dutch-raised bulbs. To celebrate, Dutch flower bulb trader Royal Anthos, iBulb.org and the Consulate of General of San Francisco are transporting thousands of multicolor tulips to the bustling tourist center.

Visitors are invited to pick their own bunch of tulips to take home between 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., the three-and-a-half-hour stretch that the garden is open to the public. Access to the garden — and the tulips — is free.

The Netherlands has a long history of tulip cultivation and exportation. Originally cultivated in the Ottoman Empire, the tulip — Latin for "flower that looks like a turban" — arrived in Holland during the 16th century.

Frequently depicted in the artwork and literature of the Dutch Golden Age, the tulip went on to become one of the most prized objects of the period. Between 1634 and 1637, a speculative frenzy for tulips led to a period known as "tulip mania." Prizes for bulbs skyrocketed, triggering one of the country's first economic bubbles.

The Dutch went on to become the world's premier tulip exporters, with the U.S. its most avid customer. Each year, the Netherlands ships around 450 million tulip bulbs to the country, which are planted, grown and sold stateside. 

American Tulip Day, Union Square, March 2, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., americantulipday.com. 

Read more: 100,000 tulips headed to San Francisco — and they're free for the picking

Climate Action Summit: Snubbing Trump, California joins EU in joint climate push

Despite the decision of US President Donald Trump to pull out of the Paris climate accord, California is extending its joint efforts with the European Union to implement carbon markets and zero-carbon transportation policies.

European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Cañete and Governor of California Jerry Brown met on November 7 in Brussels and agreed to step up cooperation on emissions trading and zero-carbon transportation.

“The EU and California are natural partners in the fight against climate change and have been pioneers in the early years of carbon markets and clean mobility,” Cañete said following his meeting with Brown on November 7.” Today we agreed to strengthen our cooperation so that we remain leaders in these areas – both of which will be key for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement,” the Commissioner added.

For his part Governor Brown reminded that the world is truly facing a challenge unprecedented in human history. “If we come together and we see the truth of our situation, we can overcome it. We’ve fought great battles before and I hope that the European Union and California will be able to inspire the rest of the world,” Brown added.

On carbon markets, the EU and California will hold regular political and technical dialogues on the design and implementation of their carbon markets, including cooperation with other carbon markets such as China. Hosted by China’s Special Representative on Climate Change Affairs, Cañete and Brown will open a high-level event on carbon markets and the role of carbon pricing in China on November 14 at COP 23 in Bonn, the Commission said.

The EU and California will also work together to scale zero-carbon transportation solutions globally, including by bringing new commitments and new partners to the Global Climate Action Summit which California will host on September 12-14, 2018.

The Global Climate Action Summit will bring together leaders from all around the world and in every walk of life – from government to business, from science to faith, and from students to investors to non-profit leaders – who believe that climate change is an existential threat and are committed to rolling back the forces of carbonisation. The Summit will emphasise how subnational actors have already contributed to emissions reductions, spur bold new commitments, and galvanise a global movement for everyone to do more.

The EU is the largest carbon market in the world, with its emissions trading system a key part of the EU’s policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while California also has a well-established carbon market, that is linked with markets in Quebec and Ontario.

Read more: Snubbing Trump, California joins EU in joint climate push

USA: Landmark California bill for 100% clean energy unexpectedly put on hold until next year - by Sammy Roth

California lawmakers will go home for the year without voting on a landmark renewable energy bill, in an unexpected setback for the state’s efforts to lead the world in fighting climate change.

The bill would have required California to get 60 percent of its electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind by 2030, up from the current legal mandate of 50 percent. It also would have tasked state regulators with charting a path to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, which could have included energy sources not considered “renewable,” like nuclear power, large hydropower plants and gas-fired power plants that capture their carbon emissions.

State senators approved the legislation by a 25-13 margin in May, and for months its eventual passage in the Assembly looked like a foregone conclusion. But the bill got held up after unexpectedly strong opposition from investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric, which argued it did not adequately protect their customers from potential increases in electricity costs. Unions also worked to kill the bill in the final week of session, after legislative leaders wouldn’t include provisions sought by organized labor.

Assembly member Chris Holden, a Pasadena Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s utilities and energy committee, said earlier this week he wouldn’t move the bill out of his committee because it didn’t have enough support to pass the chamber. He held to that stance as the legislative session came to a close Friday night, even as climate advocates urged him to advance the bill.

The bill’s failure was a major defeat for Gov. Jerry Brown and powerful Senate leader Kevin de León, a Los Angeles Democrat who wrote the legislation. It was also disheartening for climate and clean energy advocates, who have touted California as a global leader in the fight against climate change — an especially important role now that the Trump administration has backed out of the Paris climate agreement and is working to undo many Obama-era climate initiatives.

Read more: Kevin De Leon's SB 100 renewable energy bill on hold until next year