California’s commitment to set goals to limit emissions output is paying dividends. The state appears to have hit its first target for cutting greenhouse gases and it reached the goal 4 years early.
Data released Wednesday by the California Air Resources Board show that the state’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.7 percent in 2016 the latest year available to 429.4 million metric tons. That’s slightly below the 431 million metric tons the state produced in 1990. California law requires that the state’s emissions, which peaked in 2004, return to 1990 levels by 2020. They have a blueprint, goals and a culture to make positive change towards the climate. They have a blueprint, goals, a culture and leadership paving the way utilizing renewable energy to do so.
The emissions drop in large part reflects California’s fast rising use of renewable power. (Yessss!!!!) Solar electricity generation, both from rooftop arrays and large power plants, grew 33 percent in 2016, according to the air board. Imports of hydroelectric power jumped 39 percent as rains returned to the West following years of drought. Use of natural gas for generating electricity, meanwhile, fell 15 percent. What does this all mean? Essentially, California is improving it’s air quality, moving into a new economy of growth and keeping it’s environment in tact for future generations. This isn’t the end of it, they have goals to reduce emissions 40% by the year 2030. The complete list of data across different emission sources is found on their website www.arb.ca.gov