Getting to Zero

Is California on Track for 2030?

Nearly a decade ago, we committed California to cutting greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. It was a bold move, but bold moves are part of our DNA in California. Now, with 2030 just five years away, it’s time to ask: Are we on track?

The latest data from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) shows we’ve made real progress. In 2022 (the latest year for which we have results), emissions dropped to 371.1 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent (MMTCO₂e), the lowest in decades and a 24% reduction since 2000. That’s a big deal.



California and Europe - Common Goals, Common Challenges

I recently had the opportunity to talk about climate policy and politics with eight Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), who were here in the Bay Area to learn more about California’s climate efforts and to talk with some of the local tech companies who are driving innovation on climate and other topics important to the European Union.  It was striking to me just how similar our goals and challenges are in tackling the climate crisis.  We’ve both set ambitious targets and made significant progress, but we’re both also struggling to accelerate em



2023 Climate Budget Wins Part 1: Buildings, Transport, and Energy

Recently, the Governor and the Legislature came together on a budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The deal marks the culmination of months of negotiations to create a budget that protects key programs, including those that prioritize fighting climate change, without raising taxes on the middle class. As the Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee No.



Opinion: California is making historic progress in climate fight

Last year, California returned to being a world leader on climate. Mary Creasman, the head of the influential California Environmental Voters organization, called it the “most impactful year of climate legislation in California history, hands down.”


California Climate Wins in 2022

While we still have a long road ahead of us, 2022 saw a number of significant legislative victories in the battle against climate change in California. A few landmark bills set new targets and tightened the state’s overarching goals for reducing greenhouse gasses (GHG) and fossil fuel use. On top of this goal setting, the Legislature managed to garner bipartisan support for a variety of bills to ease the transition to a clean energy future. Finally, the Legislature and Governor backed up these policies by allocating an unprecedented amount of money in the state budget aimed at fighting climate change.


RENEWABLES DON’T CAUSE BLACKOUTS. INACTION DOES.

California’s grid was in the highest type of grid emergency and at major risk of blackouts this past week. Despite what skeptics say, renewables are not to blame.


The Climate Budget Items You Should Know About

In this Getting to Zero post, I share the Governor's climate budget proposals for which I’m most excited and which I believe will be critical in the coming year to meet our state emission reductions targets. The first three categories — EVs and public transportation, clean energy grid, and building electrification — include budget items that target the three largest emission sources in California. Two others — climate change adaptation and mitigation, and clean economy development — highlight policy areas that are essential to help prepare California for future impacts of climate change on the economy and everyday life.