A political history of environmental policy and regulation in
California, from the Gold Rush to the present
Over the course of its 150-year history, California has successfully
protected its scenic wilderness areas, restricted coastal oil drilling,
regulated automobile emissions, preserved coastal access, improved
energy efficiency, and, most recently, addressed global climate change.
How has this state, more than any other, enacted so many innovative and
stringent environmental regulations over such a long period of time? The
first comprehensive look at California's history of environmental
leadership, California Greenin' shows why the Golden State has been at
the forefront in setting new environmental standards, often leading the
rest of the nation.
From the establishment of Yosemite, America's first protected
wilderness, and the prohibition of dumping gold-mining debris in the
nineteenth century to sweeping climate- change legislation in the
twenty-first, David Vogel traces California's remarkable environmental
policy trajectory. He explains that this pathbreaking role developed
because California had more to lose from environmental deterioration and
more to gain from preserving its stunning natural geography. As a
result, citizens and civic groups effectively mobilized to protect and
restore their state's natural beauty and, importantly, were often backed
both by business interests and bystrong regulatory authorities. Business
support for environmental regulation in California reveals that strict
standards are not only compatible with economic growth but can also
contribute to it. Vogel also examines areas where California has fallen
short, particularly in water management and the state's dependence on
automobile transportation.
As environmental policy debates continue to grow more heated,
California Greenin' demonstrates that the Golden State's impressive
record of environmental accomplishments holds lessons not just for the
country but for the world.
