SACRAMENTO – Senator Ben Allen (D – Santa Monica), author of Senate Bill (SB) 682 issued the following statement following its defeat in the Senate Appropriations Committee:

“The earth has already warmed by +1.1 degrees Celsius. The policy commitments we make over the next decade need to be effective at reducing excess heat in the atmosphere in order to not exceed +1.5 degrees Celsius. SB 682 would have given the California Air Resources Board (CARB) a new tool to identify and prioritize actions that reduce excess heat in the atmosphere.   Specifically the legislation would have required CARB to adopt radiative forcing management climate accounting protocols, and convert the latest climate science on radiative forcing into policy.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a groundbreaking report in October, 2018, the ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5C’, which plainly outlined the existential threat posed by the climate crisis, including the prospect of irreversible climate impacts if earth's global mean temperature exceeds +1.5 degrees Celsius warming compared to pre-industrial levels.   The findings in the report were truly shocking, including that we have just 12 years to reduce excess heat build-up in the atmosphere, or it will be too late.

“The IPCC work was led by Professor Drew Shindell, a Distinguished Professor of Climate Sciences at Duke University and Coordinating Lead Author of the report.  I'm disappointed the bill was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee however, I look forward to continue working with Professor Shindell and other climate scientists on this important topic.

“We have world class climate programs in California, but the latest climate science out of the IPCC says we need to do more. I'm committed to making sure California continues to lead on climate issues.”

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California State Senator Ben Allen represents the 26th Senate District, which consists of the Westside, Hollywood and coastal South Bay communities of Los Angeles County.

Follow Senator Allen on Twitter: @BenAllenCA; Facebook: www.facebook.com/BenAllenCalifornia; and Instagram: @BenAllenCA.