Monday, January 5, 2015
California Governor Unveils Energy Goals
In California Governor, Jerry Brown's inaugural and state of the state speech on Monday, he addressed the role California was going to play in environmental issues. He stated that California was going to have to be a policy leader in "stopping potentially catastrophic changes to our climate system." What do you think of his plan and will other states incorporate these changes?
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I feel that environmental issues, in general, are talked about a lot but nothing is ever done about them. It is commendable that this governor feels strongly about these issues and is planning to help the environment. I don't know if any other states will incorporate any of these plans. I think for any of this to truly be effective people will have to change the wY they are living and most people probably won't do that.
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ReplyDeleteClimate change is an interesting point in politics. It's something very important but constantly ignored, despite the various scientists talking about the potential dangers of it. I think it's great that Brown is taking a stance on climate change and planning to help and change things for the better. Hopefully this will encourage other states to take a stance on the issue. Just like Jamie mentioned, for it to be effective people must change their way of living and that is definitely hard to do, but ways of living have definitely changed before. I think climate change needs to be addressed more for people to actually start to believe there is a problem and push for change. No one ever really notices things that are put on the back burner.
ReplyDeleteWe need to find a very careful balance between the economy and the environment. I, honestly, don't care about birds and trees and such. But if environmental issues begin to hurt people, whether that is by harming agriculture or poisoning the air or water near cities, than we need to decisively crack down and make sure people are safe.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Emmanuel. We need to take care of our planet or it will begin to harm people. Why wait until the problem is upon us? Proactivity is the key to balance. I think the goals are well-intentioned, but they seem a little lofty and mildly impractical. I also had the impression that there was no specific plan to reach these goals, but that may have been just because the article was an outline.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the poverty rate and prison issues, I think it's wonderful that he has prison reforms in mind, but if the poverty issue isn't improved (which it desperately needs), the prison reforms will be for naught because there are direct correlation between poverty and crime.
I think it's great that Brown wants to take action to help save the environment. This is definitely an issue that gets pushed to the side, but being proactive is the way to go. It's hard to get a whole state of people to agree to change the way they live, but if it can be done, it will benefit everyone. I hope that people start working towards the goals that Brown has set forth.
ReplyDeleteEmmanuel, if the trees continue to be harmed we ourselves will be harmed. Environmental issues are important, there is no doubt about that. However, we often push them to the side to focus on more pressing matters that are affecting us right now. It's almost like procrastination.
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to me that this governor did not say much. He made pretty ambitious goals for environmental responsibility, mentioned that he would aid college students with the price of education, and emphasized his commitment to reduce the prison population. Like Antonella said, I don't know how he is going to address prison population without addressing poverty rates as well. I also cannot take what he says too seriously without a mention of concrete plans for to achieve his goals. However, I have to assume the man knows what he is doing if he is serving his fourth term as governor. Only time will tell if these changes will be made. I can't really see other states doing this, though.
It is noticed by many that environmental issues are continuously put on the back burner because there are usually more pressing issues that the government has to deal with. Though I personally do not feel that climate change is as big an issue as some people make it, I do believe that we should still pay some attention to our environment. If we just forget about our harmful decisions, it will become a far larger problem in the future. I'm glad to see Brown making plans to benefit the environment. Hopefully he will actually go through with some of these plans.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am disappointed that Brown failed to mention the poverty rate issues, I believe he is on the right track regarding other major issues of the day. Emmanuel, I completely disagree with your opinion. We need to take care of our planet, especially when we have the minds, ideas, and technology that can make such a goal happen. In this instance, it doesn't have to be either or. If we dedicate time to developing new technology, we can protect both the economy and the environment.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I am extremely happy with brown's disappointment regarding raising university prices. College is way to expensive. Maybe colleges should stop building five star dorms and lower the prices. After all, we go there to learn not to chill by a pool etc.
I think it is good that Brown wants to take actions on the environment. More often than not, as others have noted, this issue is pushed aside and not addressed. Brown's goals may be ambitious but they are a step in the right direction. Climate change is an issue that we have to deal with now, not when it is too late. We have the capacity to tackle the issue but just needs the willingness to do so. I don't know if any other states will try to incorporate these changes as it largely varies from state to state. Hopefully California can serve as a model for other states when it comes to dealing with environmental issues and how to best tackle them.
ReplyDeleteI find it very refreshing that not only has a politician laid out specific goals to combat climate change, but has laid out very ambitious plans to combat climate change. I really hope that other states will follow California's lead but I highly doubt they will.
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