No Reason to Wait: The Benefits of Greenhouse Gas Reduction

This December 2005 report is the first large-scale case studies on the economic impact of reducing greenhouse-gas pollution. Conducted by Stanford University scholar Walter Reid and professional staff from the São Paulo Department of the Environment and commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the report details the economic impact of policies in California and São Paulo that dramatically reduced the per-capita emissions of greenhouse-gas pollution over the last two decades.

The states of California and São Paulo — two of the largest states in the world — have been leaders in energy policies that reduce conventional air pollutants, greenhouse gases, and energy costs. The study found that each Californian produces less than half the greenhouse-gas emissions as his or her fellow American. Similarly, the study found that the state of São Paulo since 1999 has steadily reduced greenhouse gas emissions per capita and per unit of economic activity.