As Negotiations Drag, Subnational Leaders Step Up

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California addressing the 194-nation U.N. climate talks (United Nations)

As the clock winds down, and countries are nowhere near an agreement, subnational leaders from Canada, Nigeria, France and Algeria, led by California's "Gubernator," announced today in a press conference at Bella that they plan to advance the concept of a new regional coalition to fast track the results of the Copenhagen negotiations.

Already, California is engaged in the Western Climate Initiative and has underway its own cap-and-trade program (which, good news, recently declared a strong inclination for auctioning permits instead of giving them away to polluters for free). According to a tanned and beaming Schwarzenegger (despite the snowstorm outside):

"I would ask the U.N. to convene a climate summit, like Copenhagen, but for cities, for states, for provinces and for regions...And I would be more than happy to host such a summit in California."

Additionally, he stated that California was proceeding with green tech "no matter what happens in Washington or Copenhagen." While green tech is all well and good as a partial solution, it is no substitute for a fair, ambitious, and legally binding climate agreement. We'll see if we get one in the next three days, or if gets delayed to 2010. Did someone mention California?