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Emissions Chart

BEND THE TREND

As the chart below illustrates, in the fifteen years since the historic Kyoto agreements California has increased its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 20%. If current trends continue we will double that increase in the next 15 years. That record is what led California leaders to adopt the landmark California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which calls for reducing total GHG emissions back to 1990 levels by the year 2020 (the green downward slope in the chart.) We must bend the trend.

Total California GHG Emissions
(MMTCO2eq, including
electricity imports)

This chart was produced by our Research Director, Rich Ferguson, retired physics professor from Cal Poly known simply around here as Dr. F. You can find more of Dr. F's wisdom throughout this website and read copies of his weekly columns in the California Energy Circuit (subscription required) or for free here .

NEW Interactive Speadsheet

California Electric Energy
Resource Scenarios

Build your own energy scenarios using our simple spreadsheet. Enter your own assumptions about how much energy conservation and renewable energy generation will be on line by the year 2020 and see the effect it would have on total greenhouse gas emissions.

Champies

Winners of the Clean Power Champion Awards for 2007 from left to right: Bernadette del Chiaro, Terry Tamminen, Sheryl Carter, and Jan McFarland. Photo taken at the Award Ceremony on January 22 in Sacramento.

Historic Wind Wildlife Guidelines Adopted by Energy Commission

September 26, 2007

Today California reached a milestone in its continuing efforts to address the impacts to wildlife from wind energy. The California Energy Commission adopted the “California Guidelines for Reducing Impacts to Birds and Bats from Wind Energy Development”. The Department of Fish and Game is also expected to release a statement endorsing the guidelines and directing staff on their future use. While these guidelines don't finally resolve all future issues, they represent an important step forward for the wind industry and environmental groups on what has historically been a very difficult subject.

To find a pdf copy of the guidelines or get more information about our work on wind power outreach go to the our wind outreach project page.

2020 Vision Power Point:
Build Only Renewables

Immediately after passage of AB32 Dr. Ferguson and others from our staff and affiliates worked to refine for decision makers a vision for California’s electricity sector which would meet the goals set for 2020. The result of this analysis has been incorporated in our 2020 Vision PowerPoint presentation, which graphically demonstrates the magnitude and potential sources of the reductions required to meet those important targets. Our analysis clearly shows that for the electricity generation sector the only way to meet the policy targets California has committed itself to is for maximum development of all of California's potential renewable generation resources.

Read more about our work on state climate policies here, or to learn more about global warming by visiting our energy choices section.