Taking Local Action on the Ides of March
The Latin-derived word 'ides' refers to the midpoint of a month. The Ides of March – March 15 – is famous for an act of rebellion on that day in 44 BC when a group of senators assassinated the Roman dictator Julius Caesar. The day marked a turning point in Roman history; for Caesar, of course, it was the ultimate turning point. The Ides of March now signals foreboding – in Shakespeare's words 'Beware the Ides of March' – but a turning point is often what's needed to improve how people are governed.
Throughout history, people have taken action on March 15 – from the 1917 abdication of the Russian throne by Tsar Nicholas II, to a global strike by 1.4 million students to protest inaction around climate change in 2019, to an 1848 revolution in Hungary that brought reforms by the Habsburg rulers. This year on the Ides of March, 50,000 members of the Hungarian public revisited that successful uprising to protest the autocratic leadership of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
What turning points might be upon us in the journey to a sustainable, just world? In the U.S., we are seeing signs that action at the local level could counteract anti-environmental policies by the recently inaugurated federal government.
Our top story this week is an analysis from Reuters about the growing importance of such action and the power of sub-national actors to bring about real change. In recent years, state-level leadership has come prominently from California (CA), where certain large businesses are required to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-related risks beginning in 2026. Given the size of California's economy, this legislation will have impacts that are nearly national in scale.
Building on this legislative precedent, CA State Senator Catherine Blakespear introduced in February a first-of-its-kind state bill, SB 755, to require the largest state contractors to report their GHG emissions and climate-related financial risks starting in 2027. The increase in transparency is aimed at enabling the state to reduce the emissions within its supply chain, supporting the state's goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.
'At G&A, we know that transparency ultimately drives action. The introduction of SB 755 is an important first step towards spotlighting the climate-related risks present in California's supply chain, and it will encourage suppliers to take ownership of measuring and managing their GHG emissions.' - Annie Roberts, Senior Vice President, Climate Consulting, G&A Institute
In other areas of legislation like electric transport and clean air, California is joined by ten other U.S. states in banning the sale of gas-only vehicles by 2035. And Vermont, New York, and California have linked corporate polluters to environmental and health impacts by requiring fossil fuel companies to fund projects that build communities' climate resilience – a state-level version of the U.S. Superfund act of 1980.
The authors argue that even without federal action, cities and states could cut U.S. emissions by 54-62%, which is needed to achieve the U.S.' nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. This is 'a lot of heavy lifting' for sub-national actors, but according to Nate Hultman, Centre for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, it is possible and indeed was what the Biden administration planned for in the absence of national leadership.
The Reuters story highlights an alliance of 24 state governments that have committed to continue taking climate action. It also notes an 11-state Regional Greenhouse Gas initiative (RGGI, pronounced 'Reggie'), a cap-and-trade system for the power sector.
From a business perspective, a strong case remains for states to enact ambitious climate policies – from operational continuity for businesses in each state facing climate impacts, to controlling climate-related financial risk as a good business model.
At G&A, we are ready to support companies in responding to climate and sustainability requirements in the states and local municipalities where they do business, such as California's nation-leading climate disclosure rules. We can also support municipalities in developing or updating climate action plans and reaching their targets. Find us here.
This is just the introduction of G&A's Sustainability Highlights newsletter this week. Click here to view the full issue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
Trump deploys National Guard as Los Angeles protests against immigration agents continue
President Donald Trump's administration said it would deploy 2,000 National Guard troops on Saturday as federal agents in Los Angeles faced off against demonstrators for a second day following immigration raids. The security agents confronted around 100 protesters in the Paramount area in southeast Los Angeles, where some demonstrators displayed Mexican flags and others covered their mouths with respiratory masks. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, told Fox News that the National Guard would be deployed in Los Angeles on Saturday evening. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the decision "purposefully inflammatory." "If Governor Gavin Newscum, of California, and Mayor Karen Bass, of Los Angeles, can't do their jobs, which everyone knows they can't, then the Federal Government will step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. The protests pit Democratic-run Los Angeles, where census data suggests a significant portion of the population is Hispanic and foreign-born, against Trump's Republican White House, which has made cracking down on immigration a hallmark of his second term. In the late afternoon, authorities began detaining some protesters, according to Reuters witnesses. There was no immediate official information of any arrests. Video footage showed dozens of green-uniformed security personnel with gas masks lined up on a road strewn with overturned shopping carts as small canisters exploded into gas clouds. "Now they know that they cannot go to anywhere in this country where our people are, and try to kidnap our workers, our people - they cannot do that without an organized and fierce resistance," said protester Ron Gochez, 44. A first round of protests kicked off on Friday night after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted enforcement operations in the city and arrested at least 44 people on alleged immigration violations. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner and the White House deputy chief of staff, wrote on X that Friday's demonstrations were "an insurrection against the laws and sovereignty of the United States." On Saturday, he described the day's protests as a "violent insurrection." The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement about Friday's protests that "1,000 rioters surrounded a federal law enforcement building and assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer funded property." Reuters could not verify DHS's accounts. Angelica Salas, executive director of immigrants' rights organization Chirla, said lawyers had not had access to those detained on Friday, which she called "very worrying." Trump has pledged to deport record numbers of people in the country illegally and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border, with the White House setting a goal for ICE to arrest at least 3,000 migrants per day. But the sweeping immigration crackdown has also caught up people legally residing in the country, including some with permanent residence, and has led to legal challenges. In a statement on Saturday about the protests in Paramount, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office said: "It appeared that federal law enforcement officers were in the area, and that members of the public were gathering to protest." Salas of Chirla said protesters gathered after an ICE contingent appeared to be using parking lots near a Paramount Home Depot store as a base. ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department did not respond to requests for comment on the protests or potential immigration sweeps on Saturday. Television news footage on Friday showed unmarked vehicles resembling military transport and vans loaded with uniformed federal agents streaming through Los Angeles streets as part of the immigration enforcement operation. Raids occurred around Home Depot stores, where street vendors and day laborers were picked up, as well as at a garment factory and a warehouse, Salas of Chirla said. Bass, the Democratic mayor of Los Angeles, condemned the immigration raids. "I am deeply angered by what has taken place," Bass said in a statement. "These tactics sow terror in our communities and disrupt basic principles of safety in our city. We will not stand for this."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Operation Spider's Web: Germany estimates that Ukraine damaged 10% of Russian strategic aircraft
Ukraine's drone attack on Russian airfields on 1 June probably damaged about 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet, German Major General Christian Freuding has said. Source: Freuding in a podcast, as reported by European Pravda, citing Reuters Quote: "According to our assessment, more than a dozen aircraft were damaged, TU-95 and TU-22 strategic bombers as well as A-50 surveillance planes." Details: According to the general, who coordinates Berlin's military assistance to Kyiv and works closely with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, the A-50s, which have a similar function to NATO's AWACS aircraft in providing air surveillance, were probably not in working order. "We believe that they can no longer be used for spare parts. This is a loss, as only a handful of these aircraft exist," he said. "As for the long-range bomber fleet, 10% of it has been damaged in the attack according to our assessment," Freuding added. The United States estimates that the daring Ukrainian drone attack hit up to 20 Russian warplanes, destroying about 10 of them, two US officials told Reuters. Experts say it will take Moscow years to replace the affected aircraft. Despite the losses, Freuding sees no immediate reduction in Russian strikes on Ukraine, noting that Moscow still retains 90% of its strategic bombers, which can launch ballistic and cruise missiles in addition to dropping bombs. "But there is, of course, an indirect effect as the remaining planes will need to fly more sorties, meaning they will be worn out faster, and, most importantly, there is a huge psychological impact," he said. Freuding said that Russia felt secure in its vast territory, which also explains why the aircraft were not well protected. "After this successful operation, this no longer holds true. Russia will need to ramp up the security measures," the general said. Background: On 1 June 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) carried out a special operation codenamed Pavutyna ("Spider's Web"), hitting Russian strategic jets at four airfields. SSU head Vasyl Maliuk stated that 34% of strategic cruise missile carriers at Russia's main airfields had been destroyed. The SSU said the estimated cost of the equipment destroyed as a result of Operation Spider's Web is over US$7 billion. A senior NATO official called the operation the most successful one yet. The Alliance estimated that at least 40 aircraft were damaged. Between 10 and 13 aircraft were completely destroyed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised that the security services used exclusively Ukrainian weapons in this operation and did not use equipment from allied warehouses. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Department of Justice made decision to bring back Abrego Garcia
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday it was the Department of Justice, not him, that made the decision to bring back to the U.S. a man mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was flown back to face criminal charges of transporting illegal immigrants within the U.S., Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday. His return marked an inflection point in a case seized on by critics of Trump's immigration crackdown as a sign that his administration was disregarding civil liberties in its push to step up deportations of migrants. "Well, that wasn't my decision. The Department of Justice decided to do it that way, and that's fine," Trump told NBC News in an interview when asked about Abrego Garcia's return. Trump added that he had not spoken to El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about the move. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran whose wife and young child in Maryland are U.S. citizens, appeared in federal court in Nashville on Friday evening. His arraignment was set for June 13, when he will enter a plea, according to local media reports. Until then, he will remain in federal custody. If convicted, he would be deported to El Salvador after serving his sentence, Bondi said. The Trump administration has said Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, an accusation that his lawyers deny. Abrego Garcia was deported on March 15, more than two months before the charges were filed. He was briefly held in a mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, despite a U.S. immigration judge's 2019 order barring him from being sent to the Central American nation because he would likely be persecuted by gangs. Trump said he thought it would be "a very easy case" against Abrego Garcia, who he accused of having a "horrible record of abuse" of women. Abrego Garcia's lawyer, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, has called the criminal charges "fantastical."
