President Napolitano’s statement on extension of California’s landmark cap-and-trade program
July 24, 2017 •
On July 18, President Napolitano issued the following statement on the bipartisan vote to extend California’s cap-and-trade program:
As president of the University of California, which has worked for decades to pioneer cutting-edge approaches to curbing greenhouse gas emissions, I applaud Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate Pro Tem Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon for their leadership and the California Legislature for its bipartisan vote to extend our state’s landmark cap-and-trade program.
California has long served as a national and international leader on environmental issues, embracing a range of innovative tools and environmental protection measures to combat the profound threat posed by climate change. The extension of this program further demonstrates to the world that California will continue to use every tool in its arsenal to curb harmful carbon emissions.
The UC system is similarly committed to setting and achieving ambitious climate targets, such as our goal of making the entire UC system carbon neutral by 2025. Through the adoption of on-campus solar and renewables as well as gains in energy efficiency, UC has reduced systemwide greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent since 2009. Across our labs and classrooms, UC scientists and researchers continue to develop new and improved technologies to combat the damaging effects of climate change.
I look forward to working with the governor, California’s congressional delegation and state legislators to ensure that California and the University of California stay at the forefront of combating global climate change for the benefit of generations to come.
