California Air Resources Board’s Plan To Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions 40% By 2030 (Below 1990 Levels)

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The California Air Resources Board has released details on its proposed plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, as compared to 1990 levels, by the year 2030.

In concert with the release, the regulatory body issued a request for comments from stakeholders and members of the general public, which runs through March 6th.

The newly released proposed plans build on a number of existing programs, continue the state’s use of a cap-and-trade program through 2030, and also introduce a new approach to slash greenhouse gases from refineries by 20%. The plans also reference the “need for reducing emissions in agriculture and highlights the work underway to ensure that California’s natural and working lands increasingly sequester carbon.”

The 2030 plans are part of the state’s general aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% (as compared to 1990 levels) by 2050.

“Climate change is impacting California now, and we need to continue to take bold and effective action to address it head on to protect and improve the quality of life in California,” stated CARB Chair Mary D Nichols. “The plan will help us meet both our climate and our clean air goals in the coming decades and provide billions of dollars in investments to cut greenhouse gases, smog, and toxic pollution in disadvantaged communities throughout the state. It is also designed to continue to drive creative innovation, generating good new jobs in the growing clean technology sector.”

The press release provides more:

“Assembly Bill 32, signed in 2006, set California’s initial goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and directed CARB to develop a climate change scoping plan — to be updated every 5 years — detailing specific measures needed to reach the target. Today’s proposed plan, required by the Governor’s April 2015 Executive Order, updates the previous scoping plan to account for the new 2030 target codified in Senate Bill 32. …

“Achieving the 2030 goal will require contributions from all sectors of the economy and will include enhanced focus on zero- and near-zero emission vehicle technologies; continued investment in renewable energy, including solar and wind; greater use of low-carbon fuels; integrated land conservation and development strategies; coordinated efforts to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, which include methane, black carbon and fluorinated gases; and an increased focus on integrated land-use planning to support livable, transit-connected communities.”

3 public hearings on the proposed plan will be held, with the first slated for January 27th, during the already scheduled board meeting. Late March will reportedly see the release of the final 2017 Scoping Plan update, with the approval process slated for late April.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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