Air regulators in California have voted unanimously to approve an ambitious plan to drastically cut reliance on fossil fuels by changing practices in the energy, transportation and agriculture sectors.
But critics say it doesn’t go far enough to combat climate change.
The plan sets out to achieve so-called carbon neutrality by 2045, meaning the state will remove as many carbon emissions from the atmosphere as it emits, doing so in part by reducing fossil fuel demand by 86% within that time frame.
California had previously set this carbon neutrality target, but Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation making it a mandate earlier this year. The Democrat has said drastic changes are needed to position California as a global climate leader.
“We are making history here in California,” Newsom said in a statement Thursday.
But the plan’s road to approval by the California Air Resources Board has been with criticism. Capturing large amounts of carbon and storing it underground is one of the most controversial elements of the proposal and critics say it gives the state’s biggest emitters reason to not do enough on their part to mitigate climate change.
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In a meeting that lasted several hours, activists, residents and experts used their last chance to weigh in on the plan ahead of the board’s vote. Many said the latest version, while not perfect, was an improvement from earlier drafts, committing the state to do more to curb planet-warming emissions.
The plan does not commit the state to take any particular actions but sets out a broad roadmap for how California can achieve its goals, the highlight of which is the implementation of the plan hinging on the state’s ability to transition away from fossil fuels and rely more on renewable resources for energy and calling for the state to cut liquid petroleum fuel demand by 94% by 2045, and quadruple solar and wind capacity along that same timeframe.
Another goal would mean new residential and commercial buildings will be powered by electric appliances before the next decade.
The calls for dramatically lowering reliance on oil and gas come as public officials continue to grapple with how to avoid blackouts when record-breaking heat waves push Californians to crank up their air conditioning.
Officials of the Western States Petroleum Association took said they hope a move away from gas-powered cars and trucks reduces greenhouse gas emissions while limiting the public health impact of chemicals these vehicles release.
Story was adapted from AP.
