California legislation can lead to chain reaction — and cap global greenhouse gases

Ray Lane, a venture capitalist with Silicon Valley’s Kleiner Perkins, has written an opinion piece for the Mercury News, and it is worth a read. He argues Californians have the power to pass a law that could profoundly influence global efforts to cap greenhouse gasses.

Just as government acted in the 1980s to combat acid-rain by enacting “cap and trade” of sulfur dioxide legislation, the same thing can be done today for greenhouse gases. If California passes the Pavley-Nunez Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32), Lane argues a series of dominos will fall — leading to a solution for the planet. The key to it all is the free-market component. He co-wrote the piece with Rod A. Beckstrom, who is CEO of Carbon Investmetns in Palo Alto. What do people think?