Call it a study mission or some CO2 shuttle diplomacy, but a California delegation that includes Gov. Schwarzenegger's top environmental officials, lawmakers and other officials have departed this week for Europe to meet with the EU's top climate officials.
The itinerary first takes them to Brussels, where they will confab with the International Emissions Trading Association, European Parliamentarians and officials with the Kyoto member states.
They then head to Bonn, Germany to meet with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat and the International Verifiers Roundtable. (The latter group could be considered the Dick Tracy of carbon trading. Its job is to make sure that industries claiming to have reduced carbon emissions -- and are selling credits because of it -- aren't cooking the books.)
Then it is off to London to meet with parliamentarians, industry representatives, the Emissions Trading Group and others.
I'm tempted to make some snarky comments about "junkets," etc., but it behooves California leader to learn about Europe's trials and errors in developing a market to trade emissions. They could do that by reading reports but candid discussions will likely be much more valuable. And they happen to sample a little Belgian ale while in Brussels, well, what's so wrong with that?
For the record, this blogger wanted to join (and was graciously invited by Cal-EPA Secretary Linda Adams) but couldn't put together the necessary Euros.
I'll try to get a full report from the diplomats once they return.
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