California air regulators are expected to vote on an ambitious plan Friday to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions through changes in practices in the energy, transportation and agriculture sectors.
The plan puts the state on track to achieve designated carbon neutrality by 2045, meaning California removes as much carbon from the atmosphere as it emits.
Doing so will require a rapid reduction in the emissions of gases that warm the planet and an acceleration in the development of technologies to remove these gases from the air.
California had already set this target as a goal, but now Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation making it mandatory.
Carbon capture is one of the most controversial elements of the plan. Critics say it gives the state’s biggest emitters reasons not to do their part to reduce these emissions.
At the start of today’s meeting, California AR Resources Committee Chair Liane Randolph hailed the plan as the most ambitious ever put forward. Earlier this year it was publicly discussed.
The plan does not commit the State to specific actions, but defines a general path to achieve the expected reductions.
In renewable energy, there is a move away from fossil fuels and a greater use of renewable energy sources.
In transportation, the switch to gas vehicles is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with positive effects on people’s health by reducing the impact of current fuels.
And Newsom has already called for aggressive cuts in aircraft emissions.
Carbon sequestration is considered “a necessary tool” along with others to mitigate the effect of climate disturbance.
In the case of agriculture, the plan aims to reduce methane emissions by 66% by 2045.
Source: TSF
