California flexes green muscle and rejects Proposition 23


3 Nov 2010

Californians have turned out en masse to vote in favour of a greener future as Proposition 23 has been widely rejected in the US state.

Californians voted in strength in opposition of the proposition, which would have halted the state’s plans for renewable energies and the reduction of greenhouse gasses.

The result, which was supported by then-Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger and a host of other celebrities, will come as good news to Silicon Valley technology companies, such as Tesla, who have invested heavily in greener technologies.

Worst for pollution

California has one of the worst records for pollution in the US (smog, acid rain and greenhouse gas emissions) with fossil fuels and chemical wastes heavily polluting the air and water systems respectively.

Proposition 23, which was largely funded by oil companies, proposed suspending the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 – a timetable to bring California into compliance with the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol.

The vote finished 59-41 in against the proposition.