The California Air Resources Board met in Sacramento late last week and has announced a number of targets aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and 2035.
The law requires cities and counties to use the targets to help co-ordinate land use and transportation planning while helping to develop sustainable strategies for growth and development over the next 25 years.
Improved planning should help offer a wider variety of transportation choices and will also guide future development decisions so people can live close to where they work and play.
The board wants the following targets in percentage reduction in per-capita emissions by the years 2020 and 2035 respectively: San Diego: seven per cent and 13 per cent; Sacramento: seven per cent and 16 per cent; Bay Area: seven per cent and 15 per cent; Southern California: eight per cent and 13 per cent; San Joaquin Valley: five per cent and 10 per cent to be revisited in 2012; and targets for the remaining six metropolitan areas either match or improve on their current plans.
In addition, the California Air Resources Board unanimously adopted a regulation that establishes a 33 per cent renewable electricity standard meaning one third of the electricity sold in the state in 2020 must come from renewable sources of electricity. This will ramp up the amount of electricity from solar, geothermal and other renewable sources of energy while preserving the existing authorities of the energy agencies and the grid operator.
