California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday urged Congress to develop a national market-based cap and trade program that helps reduce carbon emissions.

The move would solve this growing threat to our planet and build a forward-looking economic sector for the United States, the governor said in a statement e-mailed to Xinhua.

He urged Congress to adopt a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard, saying reliance on one resource to fuel the U.S. economy is unsustainable and is a threat to the nation's energy security.

"It is essential that we continue to develop market-based approaches to reduce carbon emissions" and such approaches "harnesses the power of the marketplace by giving financial value to carbon allowances and creating a financial incentive for emissions reductions," he said.

"Global climate change is one of the most critical environmental and political challenges of our time. The debate is over, the science is in, and the time to act is now," Schwarzenegger said.

"Only by putting aside our political differences and bringing all parties together will we truly be able to confront this crisis," the governor added.

He pledged that California would play a leading role in reducing carbon emissions in the nation.

In the area of energy efficiency, while the rest of the United States has experienced a 50 percent increase in per capita energy consumption over the past 30 years, California has kept its per capita consumption flat, according to the governor.

"Our state has achieved this while experiencing record economic growth," he said. "We have done so through government policies that set aggressive targets for efficiency, and then allow the creativity of the market to meet those targets."

"California is bringing the same leadership and approach to the fight against global climate change," he noted.

Last year, California developed the world's most comprehensive approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. By enacting the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act, California put itself on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

The law will achieve a 25 percent reduction from today's emissions levels through regulation, best management practices, incentives and market-based compliance mechanisms.

The governor said that California relies on petroleum-based fuels for 96 percent of its transportation needs while the United States relies on petroleum for 97 percent.

Moreover, he said that transportation is the top source of greenhouse gases in California and the second largest source in the country.

"A national Low Carbon Fuel Standard would help break our unhealthy dependence on foreign oil and dramatically improve our environment," the governor said.

He stressed the importance of individual U.S. states showing leadership to counteract the perception that Americans are not willing to join the climate change fight.

Some states are taking action on climate change, he said, adding that as one example, California signed an agreement earlier this week with four other western governors that commits their states to developing a regional reduction target for greenhouse gas emissions, and a market for achieving that reduction target.

The five-state agreement to address carbon emissions not only make a difference in fighting global climate change, but also demonstrate the strong popular support for action that exists throughout the country, he said.

"These efforts send a powerful message to the federal government and to the world, and they help our nation both recognize what must be done to confront the climate crisis and find the political will to do so," said the governor.

Source: Xinhua