High (and seemingly unending) personal and corporate tax rates are a major reason California gets a failing grade, but it also has to do with an overly-burdensome regulatory environment, which includes policies on health and safety, environmental, employment and labor.

FORBES: Is California's Fiscal Crisis Dooming Silicon Valley?

The author of a Swiss study on climate change and health, Dr Nino Kunzli of the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine in Basle, said the greatest health benefits would come from policies covering technology, urban planning, traffic speed and safety, and the promotion of walking, cycling and public transport.

BBC: Tackling climate 'helps health now'