Emissions Reduction Targets

It is now widely accepted by both the scientific community and most governments that to stabilize the world’s climate at no more than a 2 degree Centigrade temperature increase (often expressed not more than 450-500 parts per million concentration of CO2 equivalents in the atmosphere) emissions must decline.

Meeting this objective requires that global GHG emissions must be cut back to at least 1990 levels by 2020 and at least 80% below that by 2050. Given the scale of this challenge, bold actions need to be implemented in order to initiate an emissions trajectory that leads to deep reductions. Establishing GHG reduction targets is one such action, and in fact is critical to launching a state plan to reduce emissions. Many states have set targets and more are in the process of taking this critical and necessary step to establish a meaningful climate action program.

In 2006 California passed historic legislation, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 that codifies California's GHG targets in order to ensure that their targets will actually be met. The legislation implements 9 key recommendations including a multi sector, market-based system that includes trading; mandatory reporting of GHG emissions; and an aggressive alternative fuels program. Other states are beginning to follow suit -  including Washington, New Jersey, Hawaii, Oregon, Minnesota, Connecticut, Massachusetts and most recently, Maryland. On June 26, 2008 the California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff presented the initial draft of the AB 32 Scoping Plan for review. The AB 32 Scoping Plan contains the main strategies California will use to reduce the GHGs that cause climate change.  

Click  here for a chart that outlines state GHG reduction targets.