On July 11, 2018 the Air Resources Board announced that California’s greenhouse gas emissions dropped below 1990 levels in 2016. At the time AB 32 was passed, the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 was to be achieved by 2020.

Governor Jerry Brown and other State officials said that the results prove the State’s anti-carbon laws and regulations are succeeding and show that California can still fight climate change while maintaining a significant economic boom. Critics have countered that the economy has paid a significant price in the form of higher gas prices, lower electricidal generation and supply, higher power cost, job losses, and other ills. Since California only accounts for 1% of the global carbon emissions, the price paid does not compare to the little achievement on the global scale.

Nonetheless, according to the Air Resources Board, the reduction in emissions is the equivalent of taking 12 million cars of the road. However, the majority of the reductions necessary to achieve the goal did not come from taking cars off the road, but from the electric power industry. Currently, about 30% of California’s electricity comes from solar and wind with an additional 15% from hydroelectric. Greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which accounts for 40% of emissions, have been flat to slightly increasing over the past several years.

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