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<\/p>\nSacramento, CA…Reaffirming California\u2019s global climate leadership, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed Senate Bill 100, authored by Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de Le\u00f3n, setting a 100 percent clean electricity goal for the state, and issued an executive order establishing a new target to achieve carbon neutrality \u2013 both by 2045. \u201cThis bill and the executive order put California on a path to meet the goals of Paris and beyond. It will not be easy. It will not be immediate. But it must be done,\u201d said Governor Brown.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIn California, Democrats and Republicans know climate change is real, it\u2019s affecting our lives right now, and unless we take action immediately \u2013 it may become irreversible,\u201d said Senator de Le\u00f3n. \u201cToday, with Governor Brown\u2019s support, California sent a message to the rest of the world that we are taking the future into our own hands; refusing to be the victims of its uncertainty. Transitioning to an entirely carbon-free energy grid will create good-paying jobs, ensure our children breathe cleaner air and mitigate the devastating impacts of climate change on our communities and economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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SB 100 advances the state\u2019s\u00a0existing Renewables Portfolio Standard<\/a>, which establishes how much of the electricity system should be powered from renewable energy resources, to 50 percent by 2025 and 60 percent by 2030. It also puts California on the bold path to implement a zero-carbon electricity grid by 2045.<\/p>\n \u201cCalifornia is committed to doing whatever is necessary to meet the existential threat of climate change,\u201d\u00a0said Governor Brown in his SB 100 signing message. \u201cThis bill, and others I will sign this week, help us go in that direction. But have no illusions, California and the rest of the world have miles to go before we achieve zero-carbon emissions.\u201d<\/p>\n To further ensure California is combatting global warming beyond the electric sector, which represents 16 percent of the state\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions, the Governor issued an executive order directing the state to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and net negative greenhouse gas emissions after that. This will ensure California removes as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it emits \u2013 the first step to reversing the potentially disastrous impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n The state will reach its goals with continued significant reductions of carbon pollution and increased carbon sequestration in forests, soils and other natural landscapes and programs focused on improving air quality and public health, especially in California\u2019s most impacted communities.<\/p>\n With Governor Brown\u2019s order, California establishes the most ambitious carbon neutrality commitment of any major economic jurisdiction in the world \u2013 of more than 20 countries and at least 40 cities, states and provinces planning to go carbon neutral by mid-century or sooner.<\/p>\n This action comes days before grassroots activists, mayors, governors, heads of industry and international leaders convene in San Francisco for the express purpose of mobilizing climate action at the\u00a0Global Climate Action Summit<\/a>. Late last week, Governor Brown also\u00a0signed legislation to block new federal offshore oil drilling along California\u2019s coast<\/a>\u00a0and announced the state\u2019s opposition to the federal government\u2019s plan to expand oil drilling on public lands in California.\u00a0The entirety of the state\u2019s coast has been off-limits to new oil and gas leases for more than 30 years, and the state has not issued a lease for offshore oil or gas production since 1968.<\/p>\n The Governor\u2019s signing message for SB 100 can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The text of the executive order can be found\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n California\u2019s Leadership on Climate Change<\/strong><\/p>\n California continues to lead the world in adopting innovative policies to fight climate change. Last week, the Governor issued an\u00a0executive order<\/a>\u00a0to safeguard California\u2019s unique plants, animals and ecosystems that are threatened by climate change. Last month, the state also issued its\u00a0Fourth Climate Change Assessment<\/a>, which details new science on the devastating impacts of irreversible climate change in California and provides planning tools to support the state\u2019s response.<\/p>\n Earlier this year Governor Brown issued executive orders to\u00a0improve the health of the state\u2019s forests\u00a0<\/a>and help mitigate the threat and impacts of deadly and destructive wildfires, and get\u00a05 million zero-emission vehicles<\/a>\u00a0onto California\u2019s roads by 2030. Last year, the Governor signed landmark legislation to\u00a0extend and strengthen the state\u2019s cap-and-trade program<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0create a groundbreaking program\u00a0<\/a>to measure and combat air pollution at the neighborhood level.<\/p>\n Under Governor Brown, California has established the\u00a0most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in North America<\/a>; set the\u00a0nation\u2019s toughest restrictions on destructive super pollutants<\/a>; and will\u00a0reduce fossil fuel consumption up to 50 percent\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0double the rate of energy efficiency savings\u00a0<\/a>in buildings by 2030.<\/p>\n The state has\u00a0met its 2020 target<\/a>\u00a0four years early, reducing emissions 13 percent while growing the economy 26 percent. From 2015 to 2016 alone, emissions reductions were roughly equal to taking 2.4 million cars off the road, saving 1.5 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel.<\/p>\n In addition, Governor Brown has helped establish and expand coalitions of partners across the nation and globe committed to curbing carbon pollution. The\u00a0Under2 Coalition<\/a>, which\u00a0originated\u00a0<\/a>from a partnership between California and the German state of Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg, now includes 206 jurisdictions on 6 continents that collectively represent 1.3 billion people and $30 trillion in GDP \u2013 equivalent to 17 percent of the global population and 40 percent of the global economy. Members of the coalition make a number of key commitments, including reducing greenhouse gas\u00a0emissions equivalent to 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels or to less than 2 annual metric tons per capita by 2050.<\/p>\n Last year, California joined Washington and New York to form the\u00a0U.S. Climate Alliance<\/a>, which now includes 17 U.S. states \u2013 led by both Democrats and Republicans representing 40 percent of the U.S. population \u2013 committed to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and\u00a0meeting or exceeding the targets of the federal Clean Power Plan<\/a>. Governor Brown also\u00a0partnered with Michael Bloomberg to\u00a0launch America\u2019s Pledge on climate change<\/a>, an initiative to compile and quantify the actions of U.S. states, cities\u00a0and\u00a0businesses to drive down their greenhouse gas emissions consistent with the goals of the Paris Agreement.<\/p>\n