05.05 Combatting climate change at the subnational scale- California

Question 1

What is the population of California?

Answer 1

California has nearly 40 million inhabitants.

Question 2

Is California the largest US state by area?

Answer 2

No, California is the third largest US state by area, behind Alaska and Texas.

Question 3

Would California have one of the top ten economies in the world if it were a country?

Answer 3

Yes, if judged by GDP alone, California would rank about 6th, and if judged by GDP PPP, it would rank about 10th.

Question 4

Does California share a land border with Mexico?

Answer 4

Yes, California shares a land border with Mexico on its southern border.

Question 5

What percentage of Californians have English as their Native tongue?

Answer 5

About 57% of Californians have English as their native tongue.

Question 6

Does San Francisco have the highest median household income of any metropolitan US area?

Answer 6

Yes, the median household income in San Francisco is the highest of any metropolitan US area, higher than downtown NYC or Washington.

Question 7

Is California home to Silicon Valley?

Answer 7

Yes, California is home to Silicon Valley, the ICT hub of the world.

Question 8

Does California sit on a destructive plate boundary?

Answer 8

No, California sits on a conservative plate boundary.

Question 9

Do most immigrants to California now come from Latin American countries?

Answer 9

No, while this was once true, most immigrants now come from Asia (60%) rather than Latin America (20%).

Question 10

Is California currently a Democratic state?

Answer 10

Yes, California is currently a Democratic state.

Question 11

What are three major impacts of climate change in California?

Answer 11

Increasing temperatures, more frequent and intense wildfires, and rising sea levels are three major impacts of climate change in California.

Question 12

Why has California had to cut a different path to Washington over the years?

Answer 12

California has had to cut a different path to Washington over the years due to necessity and Democratic governors who want to limit climate change.

Question 13

What did President Trump say/do in regards to the Paris Climate Accord?

Answer 13

President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.

Question 14

What did President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord say to the global audience about the USA and its stance on climate change?

Answer 14

President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord signaled to the world that the U.S. was no longer interested in being a leader on climate change.

Question 15

Why does California hold some muscle in the arena of climate change?

Answer 15

California holds some muscle in the arena of climate change because it is the sixth largest economy in the world and has implemented its own environmental policies that are greener than federal guidelines.

Question 16

What are some of the key commitments announced at the Global Climate Action Summit?

Answer 16

Some of the key commitments announced at the Global Climate Action Summit included hundreds of cities and states committing to achieving 100% clean energy and/or carbon neutrality by 2050, over 70 companies committing to using only renewable electricity by 2020, a group of investors with over $6 trillion in assets under management committing to aligning their portfolios with the goals of the Paris Agreement, and a coalition of philanthropic organizations pledging to invest $4 billion in climate solutions over the next five years.

Question 17

What is the Under2 Coalition?

Answer 17

The Under2 Coalition is a group of subnational governments, including states, regions, and cities, that are committed to keeping global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius.

Question 18

What is California’s cap-and-trade program?

Answer 18

California’s cap-and-trade program is a system where polluters purchase permits to pollute, which decrease in quantity over time, effectively putting a price on emissions.