Renewable diesel continues to drive cuts in California climate pollution
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sept. 21 that his state continued to cut climate pollution, reducing statewide greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 3.9 percent while growing the economy in 2024—according to new data released by California Air Resources Board.
The new CARB data shows statewide GHG emissions are now 28 percent below their 2004 peak, continuing its long-term decline in GHG emissions while the state economy continues to expand.
The 2024 annual reduction is equivalent to removing more than 3.2 million gasoline-powered cars from California’s roads for one year.
The reductions came as California’s gross state product increased by 3.2 percent.
“We will keep building the clean-energy economy of the future and proving that one of the world’s largest economies can tackle climate change,” Newsom said.
CARB Chair Lauren Sanchez added, “California is once again proving that economic growth and environmental protection go hand in hand. Twenty years ago, we bet that tackling climate change would make California stronger. The results speak for themselves—emissions falling, our economy growing and our air getting cleaner.”
The statewide inventory, California’s annual accounting of climate pollution from transportation, electricity, industry, homes, businesses and other sources, reflects continued emissions reductions across California’s economy:
Transportation achieved the largest total decrease driven by the rising use of renewable diesel and zero-emission vehicles.
Even as there was an increase in total electricity generation, power-sector emissions were down due to the continued expansion of renewables and batteries.
Industrial, agricultural, and commercial and residential emissions also fell.
Signed into law 20 years ago, AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, established California’s climate leadership and the state’s first GHG reduction goal—get back to 1990 levels by 2020.
The target was met six years early in 2014.
AB 32 spurred the development of California’s groundbreaking climate policies, including the Cap-and-Invest Program, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard, clean car programs and more.
California has built on that foundation with increasingly ambitious climate goals:
2016: Gov. Brown signed SB 32 requiring the state to reduce its GHG emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by Dec. 31, 2030.
2022: Newsom signed AB 1279, codifying the goal to achieve statewide net-carbon neutrality by 2045 and establishing an 85 percent emissions-reduction target as part of that goal.
Today, California’s success has become a blueprint for governments around the world, according to Newsom’s office, and every Californian can take pride in the state’s accomplishments:
28 percent drop in emissions since 2004.
2.7 million zero-emission vehicles sold.
216,445 public and shared EV chargers.
67 percent clean energy.
21,860 megawatts of battery storage.
70 percent renewable diesel.
$36 billion raised by Cap-and-Invest auctions for California climate investments statewide.
No. 1 in the nation for clean-energy jobs with 552,300 employed.
