Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water
Support SB27 Testimony
April 27, 2021
Good morning, Chair Laird and members of the committee.
My name is Ellie Cohen, CEO of The Climate Center. I am honored to testify in support of SB 27, which will set urgently needed state goals for carbon sequestration on natural and working lands, and help catalyze public and private investment.
The Climate Center is a policy nonprofit working for rapid greenhouse gas reductions at scale through our Climate-Safe California campaign, which aims to accelerate state climate policy timelines and achieve net-negative emissions by 2030.
- UN scientists concluded in 2018 that to prevent dangerous impacts of climate change we have to cut emissions in half by 2030 and remove emissions already put in the atmosphere from human activity.
- New studies since then show that we will pass the 1.5C threshold of dangerous warming within the next decade, much earlier than expected, requiring accelerated emissions reductions as well as accelerated investments in natural sequestration.
- A growing number of scientific studies show that natural and working lands can sequester significant amounts of additional carbon with the added benefits of helping our state be more resilient to ever-worsening drought, wildfire and sea level rise while increasing groundwater supplies, water and air quality, biodiversity and food security.
- There are also new technologies emerging for directly capturing carbon from the atmosphere. We support small-scale testing of these technologies only if they do not negatively impact neighboring communities and the environment, and do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions reduction efforts.
- We also support the state partnering with private entities to scale up investments in California-based carbon sequestration on natural and working lands, ensuring that these programs are as accessible to as many producers as possible and are not used as an emissions offset.
With rapidly worsening climate change impacts and California in the early stages of a severe multi-decade drought, The Climate Center thanks Senator Skinner for her climate leadership and respectfully requests your support of SB 27. Thank you.
Members:
Senator Henry I. Stern (Chair)
Senator Brian W. Jones (Vice Chair)
Senator Benjamin Allen
Senator Susan Talamantes Eggman
Senator Shannon Grove
Senator Robert M. Hertzberg
Senator Ben Hueso
Senator John Laird
Senator Monique Limón
