A Greening Tide Lifts All Boats

Reports say cutting greenhouse gases will enhance California's economy

Curbing greenhouse-gas emissions will massively boost California's economy, according to two independent analyses of the state's ambitious plans for fighting global warming. The Center for Clean Air Policy, a D.C.-based environmental think tank, found that California could meet its proposed 2010 emissions goals -- mandated last year as part of a climate-change action plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) -- at no cost to citizens. And researchers at UC-Berkeley determined that cutting greenhouse-gas emissions would save on fuel, putting money in Californians' pockets, and create new clean-tech jobs. Dirty industries are fond of claiming that emissions reductions will hurt the economy, but in light of these new studies those claims look suspiciously self-interested.