DeAnn Sarver – live from NACW 2011: Day 2 “Carbon Market Determination”
19th April 2011
This year’s NACW conference had a powerful kick-off yesterday with keynotes from former California Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gray Davis. Always the crowd pleaser, Arnold’s enthusiasm and pride in California’s progressive carbon initiatives was inspirational and at times downright hilarious. Both he and Gray Davis conveyed a sense of optimism that is usually absent in these circles (these days), which was a great way to start the event.
However, the reality of carbon market uncertainty continues to weigh heavily on the delegates here, with everyone pondering what the future holds. This discomfort has people talking about what it will take, what we should do, and how to go about doing it quickly. Overall, everyone is resigned to the fact that the lack of near-term federal climate legislation means our best hope remains with initiatives at the sub-national level, both in the public and private sectors. While these sentiments are not new, there does seem to be an increased attitude of determination to continue developing a stable and viable market for the long term. There’s too much invested and too much at stake to let a little thing like regulatory uncertainty get in the way.