2nd Tue: North American State/Provence Leadership

We obtained tickets to a terrific presentation on behalf of The Climate Registry and Georgetown Climate Center, featuring three Premiers and two Governors - but no Governator - a late cancellation (maybe he couldn't get registered?).
They spoke extremely convincingly about how they have formed a number of alliances, embracing the Canadian/US border, which represent 23 States and 4 Provences - totalling more than 50% of their combined populations. They have successfully created structures to fill the vacuum of insufficient Federal leadership, which are creating green jobs (47,000 in Washington State), their own Cap and Trade schemes, and The Climate Registry which enables a common approach to measuring, reporting and verification (MRV). "The economy IS the environment."

BC has almost 100% renewable energy, and Washington leads in both solar and wind.

Quebec is positioned to leverage the new, opening Northern maritime route, which will change the political realities of life in the (north american) arctic. It has -20% targets by 2020, transit and green tech policies, and used its experience with SO2 pollution in the 1970s (which lead to the Montreal Protocol) to tackle GHG challenges. It has 95% hydro, is investigating smart grid, and is FiT-friendly.

Wisconsin uses Manitoba's hydro to enable it to achieve Renewable Portfolio Standards, and cites protection of the Great Lakes as a major driver for its approach. Being predominately coal-dependent, it faces a major problem to transition its population to the modern world. FiT may be a good idea to break the coal-based ignorance. Many famous green achievers emanate from this State, and they are particularly fond of their establishment of a Cap and Trade Scheme. They have many important, enlightened farmers and manufacturers (eg Harley Davidson) which look for leadership to drive increasing efficiency and green technology adoption. (It's a matter of looking at former "waste" streams as opportunities for bio-processing and energy generation.) They spoke of their use of Federal funds to assist their constituencies to become more energy efficient, innovative and lead.

Manitoba emphasised that the States and Provinces have shown their Federal governments learn from their experience. They use HVDC transmission to distribute hydro electricity both sideways and south, over the border. They have embraced a -6% (Kyoto-style 1990) target which will be achieved by 2012, and anticipate going further. They are also very active in Energy Efficiency, and look to their 1.2m population being North American leaders in national energy efficiency - avoiding new generation. They have 100 MW of wind, and more to come, subject to (increasingly difficult) financing, which uses the Utility to finance quick paybacks on furnace update/replacement programme. They have a 2% ethanol mandate, and hope to expand that, as well as methane recovery programmes. All new housing and renovations are LEED standard. Big on bus manufacturing, they are encouraging their manufacturers to lead in hybrid and fuel cell buses. Boreal forests are being re-established and extended - as well as UNESCO-protected - to support eco-tourism. They have adopted protection of the Polar Bear as a state mascot, again with tourist potential. Manitoba does NOT favour FiT (although BC does)

A really good question was asked right at the end: Tar Sands.... Cause of so many Fossil awards, the Federation works because each party can follow it's own destiny. The hope was expressed that by "the others" showing enlightened leadership, maybe Alberta will start to look at exploring alternative or symbiotic paths.