Source: World Wildlife Fund
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed an executive order directing the California Air Resources Board to establish regulations requiring all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California in 2035 be zero-emission vehicles. In response to this landmark decision that could slash greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35 percent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 80 percent, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) issued the following statement from Elan Strait, US Climate Campaigns Director:
“California is suffering through one of the worst climate disasters we’ve ever seen – four out of five of the largest wildfires in California history are burning right now. We will never get these disasters under control unless we attack their root cause – global warming caused by the emission of greenhouse gases. What’s more, reducing emissions in the United States stands to be an enormous opportunity at a time when the US economy desperately needs it.
Today’s announcement from Governor Newsom recognizes the cost of failing to act, and the enormous opportunity that climate action poses. The electric vehicle industry in California has already created 275,000 jobs, and this announcement ensures that there will be hundreds of thousands of new jobs created in the years ahead.
This is the most ambitious move on climate change in the United States this year. Coupled with China’s announcement to pursue carbon neutrality by 2060, if not sooner, it is clear that the world is marching ahead on tackling the climate crisis. People that fail to see which direction the world is going will not hold back progress, they will only be left behind.”
Learn more about the role of the climate crisis in the California wildfires here.
Learn more about how states, cities, businesses, and organizations across sectors can contribute to addressing the climate crisis here.
