MONTREAL—With global climate-change talks in limbo, Quebec says it’s going ahead with a cap-and-trade program.

The province says it’s immediately joining the state of California, becoming the first Canadian province to start enforcing cap-and-trade regulations for carbon emissions.

Starting on Jan. 1, there will be a one-year transition period to help large emitters adjust to the new system, which will officially kick in in 2013.

The program applies to large industrial emitters and will require them to reduce their carbon footprint, or buy clean-air credits.

It is being run under the Western Climate Initiative, whose objective is to reduce emissions 15 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020.

However, the battle against climate change can be a lonely one these days. The WCI was originally signed by seven U.S. states and four Canadian provinces.

However, every U.S. state except California has pulled out of the WCI. And it’s unclear whether any Canadian province beside Quebec will proceed with enforcing a cap-and-trade system.

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