Mind the Gap: Policies for California's Countdown to 2030
Mind the Gap: Policies for California’s Countdown to 2030
If California is to meet its 2030 and 2045 climate change goals, the state must quadruple its annual rate of greenhouse gas reductions by adopting market-transforming policies and incentives that address historical inequities within the next one to two years.
Mind the Gap: Policies for California's Countdown to 2030 is Edison International's analysis of the policy changes and additions needed to ensure that California meets its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 — a reduction that is essential if the state is to achieve its ultimate goal of a decarbonized economy by 2045. Our policy paper discusses where the state has made progress and which additional actions and outcomes are needed.
STATE AND FEDERAL POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CLOSING GAPS IN CRITICAL AREAS:
- Decarbonizing the power supply
- Preparing the grid for shifts in usage and increasing demands
- Electrifying transportation and buildings while increasing efficiency
How We Get There
California must reduce its emissions by an average of 4.1% each year from 2019 to 2030 to meet its 2030 GHG reduction goal, requiring a significant and
sustained capital infusion from public and private resources. An immense body of work has noted the most affordable path to decarbonize this decade includes two
primary actions: clean the power grid and efficiently electrify as much of the world as possible.
It’s crucial that the electric sector, state agencies and legislators combine our vast expertise to bring about the practical, wise and actionable policies that
will result in rapidly lowering GHG emissions. We must do this now and bear in mind that meeting the goals of 2030 and 2045 is necessary to have a future where
we can all thrive.
California must keep electricity affordable for vulnerable populations and households that spend a disproportionate share of their household income on energy;
reduce air pollution across varied emission sources, particularly in disadvantaged communities; and strengthen communities’ resilience in the changing climate.