From champion of polluted air to leader of the transition
California embodies the great American megalopolis, where dreams come true. But these cities are built on the American model, with very little room for pedestrians. With 14 million cars, it is even the state with the most vehicles: almost twice as many as Texas, which comes second. Exhaust gases are responsible for more than half of California's emissions. As a result, California is the state with the worst air quality in the country. The biggest cities, such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, are the hardest hit.
The phenomenon is such that when the Clean Air Act of 1970, one of America's first environmental laws, was ratified, an exception had to be made for California, which was unable to meet federal standards. It was then left to draw up its own law on the subject, so that, in the interests of equality, the other states too could choose whether to adopt the federal or Californian standard. It was in this context that California was able to implement some of the most ambitious vehicle emissions policies in the world, which were then followed by the twelve states that opted for California's standards. Manufacturers, refusing to adapt to each state, eventually applied the standard nationally.
Although this policy has actively contributed to reducing per capitaCO2 emissions by 25% from their peak in 2001, and to eliminating the notorious smog that used to hang over Los Angeles and San Francisco, not everyone is happy with this autonomy. That's why Trump tried to strip California of its exception to the Clean Air Act, deeming it unfair for a single state to dictate a law applied to the entire nation. In response, California took the president to court: a fairly frequent occurrence, since California has sued Trump more than 100 times, often over his environmental policies, which it claims have endangered the health of Californian citizens.
The Californian sun, energy generator
Once again, California has established itself as an environmental leader among the 50 states. It is already the state that produces the most solar energy, accounting for over a third of the country's output. Recently, it also made the installation of solar panels mandatory on new homes: an ambitious measure, which makes sense in this Sun Belt territory with 320 days of sunshine a year. Thanks to these bold measures, by 2021, renewable energies already accounted for 67.5% of the energy mix in the most populous state in the United States, a score to which a large wind farm also contributes. However, fossil fuels, mainly natural gas, still cover a significant proportion of electricity needs. With 80,000 new homes being built each year, which will have to be equipped with solar panels, we hope that the improvement will continue.
Sorting: a Californian habit
Whether in the city or the countryside, in public spaces or at home, selective sorting is firmly rooted in Californian culture. At the beginning of the millennium, San Francisco even took the unprecedented step of becoming the first 100% zero-waste city by 2022. Two decades later, the results are in. Despite its 800,000 inhabitants, the city has achieved the feat of not having a single piece of waste incinerated. The secret of this success is Pier 96, an immense 20,000m2 sorting center, making it the largest in the world. Every Franciscan is now required to recycle, on pain of a fine.
The government has no intention of stopping there, but rather of tackling the waste problem at source. It's not just a question of sorting it, but of not producing it in the first place. While San Francisco has banned plastic bottles, the entire state has banned single-use plastic bags. In this race against plastic, Attorney General Rob Bonta is looking for the culprits. In April 2022, he launched an unprecedented investigation to measure the culpability of the petrochemical industry in the production of plastic, which is made from hydrocarbons. In particular, it denounces the current inability to sort all plastics, and therefore the limited effects of recycling, if it is not accompanied by policies to control their production. The investigation will determine the extent to which the petrochemical industry has sought to disguise its involvement.
Innovation in the service of ecology
In Silicon Valley, where the world of tomorrow is already being shaped, ideas abound, and ecological challenges are not spared. Not content with running on 100% renewable energy, as Apple and Facebook do, the giant Google is now aiming to become the world's first major zero-carbon company. To achieve this, it is investing massively in research and development, to design solutions which, tomorrow perhaps, will be adopted on a global scale.
Silicon Valley, a veritable incubator of innovative ideas, is also teeming with other start-ups with ideas that are already revolutionizing ecology. The Climate Corporation, for example, is dedicated to the massive analysis of soil and climate data, with the aim of improving agricultural yields while reducing their impact. For its part, the Lasso company offers a domestic waste management system, which sorts itself out while removing fatty or organic pollutants from plastics, to optimize the recycling loop. California, with the world's fifth-largest GDP, is out to prove that reconciling ecology and economics is no dream.
Eco-friendly to the plate
A kingdom of healthy food, Californians are also particularly aware of the impact of agriculture on sustainable development. In a state whose economy is partly based on agriculture, which, because of the climate, is water-hungry, this awareness is necessary. To limit carbon emissions from transportation, local produce is the order of the day, and many Californians religiously visit farmers' markets to do their shopping. Local farmers proudly display their produce grown under the Californian sun, while a few food trucks cater to the hungriest. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market unrolls its stalls three times a week to present Franciscans with fresh, seasonal produce such as vegetables, cheese, meat, fruit and much more. In Sebastopol, a small town north of San Francisco, one of California's most popular farmers' markets is held every Sunday morning. In a hippie atmosphere, shoppers come to admire what the producers have to offer, including Woodleaf Farm, one of the oldest organic farms in the country.
California goes up in smoke
Forest fires are a natural part of the Californian climate. In fact, some species have adapted remarkably well, such as the world's tallest tree, the yew-leaf redwood(Sequoia sempervirens), and the world's largest tree, the giant sequoia(Sequoiadendron giganteum), both native to California. While the former has a bark so thick that it protects it from fire, the latter requires flames to reproduce, since its fruits only release their seeds under the heat of the flames.
But while the phenomenon is natural in California's climate, its frequency and intensity are unprecedented. Every summer, the news is full of articles about California fires, which are unfortunately no longer scoops. The years 2020 and 2021 were among the worst fires California has ever seen, exacerbated by global warming and the resulting drought. In fact, it's clear that the balance has been completely upset, as even the fire-resistant redwoods collapse. By 2021, 3,600 hundred-year-old giants had succumbed to the flames. In recent years, even 20% of the giant sequoias that had withstood centuries of fire have been destroyed.
The State of Natural Parks
There are two types of protected areas in California: National Parks, preserved on an American scale, and State Parks, under Californian jurisdiction. Yosemite National Park is one of the most emblematic: the very symbol of the Great West, it features a spectacular tangle of Sierra Nevada mountains and plains. This immense glacial valley of over 300,000 hectares is home to a rich biodiversity. Between 300 and 500 black bears have been counted, and rangers have even counted some 15 individuals frequenting Yosemite Valley, the most popular tourist area. Incidents are rare, thanks to efforts to educate the public about proper behavior.
Sequoia National Park and King's Canyon National Park, the twin parks, are home to other impressive beasts: the redwoods. The former is home to the largest living organism, in terms of volume, to have ever lived: a giant sequoia nicknamed General Sherman. But while King's Canyon takes the silver medal, Redwood National Park is home to the world's largest tree. Hyperion is 116 meters tall, and its precise location is kept secret to prevent damage to its habitat.
On a completely different note, and far less vegetated, Death Valley National Park is the fourth largest in the United States, after three Alaskan parks. The aridity of the place is matched only by its immensity, and many people have lost their way here while attempting to advance westward. Its inhabitants have developed unique protections against the heat of this place, which holds the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded on earth: 56.7°C, in 1913. The California Hare(Lepus californicus), for example, has developed a rather original defence: its ears, measuring more than twice the size of its skull, enable it to cool its blood before it reaches the brain, the most sensitive organ. The park is also home to other animals, including coyotes, pumas and dwarf foxes, as well as 36 species of nocturnal reptiles.
