Climate change is rapidly accelerating in California, state report says
California is not on track to meet its climate change goals this year, a report released Wednesday said, although next year’s goal and 2020’s will increase.
The state’s greenhouse gas emissions are projected to grow by 8 percent—a significant increase from the decade’s overall growth of 1 percent—this year. Overall, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to double from 2017 to 2026, the report said.
The state is falling short on its 2020 goal, which was to reduce emissions 36 percent below 2008 levels, according to the report. State officials have said they’re confident that they can meet that goal.
But in the near future the state’s emissions are expected to increase by 1.3 percent to 1.7 percent annually, the report said.
In a press briefing, the California Bureau of Labor and Industries described the report as “an important step.”
“It shows there is work to be done,” said Liz Sieler, deputy director of the Bureau of Labor Standards. “We need to continue to work to make California the best place on earth to work, live, play and raise a family.”
“California needs to do better to meet its climate and air quality goals,” Sieler added.
But the new report is “an important wake-up call,” said Andrew D. Frank, a spokesman for the state’s Air Resources Board.
“The state of California is on track to meet its climate goals and can continue to do so in the coming decade and beyond,” Frank said in a statement, noting that the “report shows that there’s still a lot we can do to address the impacts of climate change.”
California has pledged to take steps to reduce emissions by 2045.
“The state is investing in a range of efforts to address our climate challenges, including in pollution prevention, clean energy, transportation and advanced manufacturing,”
