LOS ANGELES (AFP) – California’s environmental regulators approved an ambitious plan aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions in the state by 30 percent over the next 12 years, officials said.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has backed a series of measures in a plan which sets out a timetable for achieving emissions standards outlined in a 2006 bill signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“This plan is California’s prospectus for a more secure and sustainable economy,” said CARB Chairman Mary Nichols.
“It will guide capital investments into energy efficiency to save us money, into renewable energy to break our dependence on oil, and promote a new generation of green jobs for hundreds of thousands of Californians.”
Key provisions of the plan are a cap-and-trade system covering 85 percent of the state emissions.
Additional recommendations of the plan include implementing California‘s clean cars standards and increases in the amount of clean and renewable energy used to power the state.
The scoping plan also calls for simple measures such as campaigns to encourage consumers to reduce their carbon footprint through carpooling and adjusting thermostats to use less energy.
