California’s greenhouse gas emission fell a remarkable 8.7% in 2020 amidst pandemic-induced economic disruptions and travel restrictions. But while the significant drop in emissions has helped the state make progress toward its 2030 climate targets, it masks a rise in pollution from in-state power generation, as stubbornly-slow renewable energy growth threatens California’s transition to carbon neutrality. At the same time, a drop in emissions from the transportation sector for the third-consecutive year could signal a breakthrough in the state’s largest source of climate pollution, if pandemic-era shifts towards hybrid work remain and electric vehicle adoption continues to rise.
“But to make continual progress in the transportation sector, we need structural changes to how we move around our cities and towns, and we urgently need to address the looming public transit crisis.”
That’s the finding of the fourteenth annual California Green Innovation Index—released today by the nonpartisan nonprofit Next 10 and prepared by Beacon Economics. The report’s analysis of the latest available emissions data found that while transportation-sector, commercial-sector, and industrial-sector emissions dropped in 2020, emissions from in-state electricity and agriculture increased.
“Despite the significant 2020 emissions drop, a closer look at the data from this year’s Index suggests California still faces challenges,” said F. Noel Perry, businessman and founder of Next 10. “The increase in in-state power generation pollution is worrisome. Not only is this pollution hurting the health of those living close to these facilities, this is the sector that overarching decarbonization depends on. We’ll need to see a significant increase in clean energy generation—at least 8% per year—in the coming years, to power homes, vehicles and industry.”
The report also analyzed the economic and jobs returns on investment from four of California’s signature climate and clean energy programs, and found that a cumulative $2.76 billion investment in these programs generated $5.35 billion in economic output and created 8,521 jobs—while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The findings should inform California’s budget priorities, as the state pursues strategies to fend off a potential looming recession.
“California’s return on climate investments has been striking,” said Patrick Adler, research manager at Beacon Economics. “The state has shown that it can create jobs and strong economic growth—while also helping to cut the pollution that is driving climate change and adversely impacting communities across California.”
SOURCE: Businesswire