Data released Wednesday by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) shows that greenhouse gas emissions in the state fell by 9% in 2020, the largest drop recorded in more than 20 years.
Greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide trap heat in the atmosphere and can contribute to warming temperatures that impact the environment.
“Transportation emissions continued to decline in 2020, most likely from light duty vehicles after shelter-in-place orders were enacted,” in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, said CARB. Additionally, it noted that there was an 18% growth in battery-powered electric vehicles in the state from 2019 to 2020.
Tailpipe emissions are the dominant source of greenhouse gas emissions in California, accounting for 37% of emissions in the 2020 CARB inventory. That year, the transportation sector also saw the steepest decline (16%) in emissions.
CARB Executive Officer Dr. Steven Cliff said that the early days of the pandemic were “unprecedented and unique, turning our lives upside down.” He said that the lowered emissions should be viewed the same, as an outlier rather than a new trend. Emissions also dropped in the state during the Great Recession.
During 2020, California’s industrial emissions dropped around 9% and the state’s gross domestic product dropped by 2.8%.
While Cliff does not think that 2020 numbers are a reliable data point for predicting future emissions, he said that “as we build back, we must continue with the actions that we know will reduce greenhouse gases and clean the air in our hardest hit communities, including deployment of renewable energy, and zero-emission cars and trucks on our roads and highways.”
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