PD Editorial: State needs less talk, more action on climate

The tendentious protests of America's denier-in-chief aside, most people accept the scientific evidence of climate change as irrefutable and concur that greenhouse gas emissions must be curbed to avoid a global calamity.

Few places on Earth have joined the cause more enthusiastically than the Golden State.

But a new assessment says California isn't doing enough to meet climate change goals enacted a decade ago by state lawmakers.

In fact, the California Air Resources Board said in its 2018 progress report, large parts of the state are heading in the wrong direction.

“California will not achieve the necessary greenhouse gas emissions reductions to meet mandates for 2030 and beyond without significant changes to how communities and transportation systems are planned, funded and built,” the air board report says.

There were headlines and fist bumps earlier this year when the air board announced that California had reached its 2020 goal - reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels - four years early. Analysts gave much of the credit to progress by electrical utilities in reducing their carbon footprints.

But hitting the mark for 2030 - 40 percent below 1990 levels - will require “a great contribution from the transportation sector,” the new report says.

That means a lot of Californians need to kick the habit.

No, not smoking. Driving.

Especially SUVs, pickups and other gas-guzzlers.

Emissions from transportation are the single largest source of greenhouse gases. Californians' per-capita vehicle miles traveled must fall by 25 percent to meet the 2030 goal - even if sales of electric cars and other zero-emission vehicles grows by a factor of 10, according to the state Air Resources Board.

Still more reductions will be needed to meet Gov. Jerry Brown's new goal of carbon neutrality by 2045.

How are we doing? Not very well. After a brief decline during the Great Recession, per-capita miles driven - and associated carbon emissions - have increased sharply since 2009. The number of people driving solo also is rising, adding to commute times and tailpipe emissions.

Yes, we all need to do better. But the air board puts much of the blame on local governments around the state, saying they have mostly paid lip service to goals established 10 years in SB 375, the state's landmark climate law.

All 18 regions have adopted so-called Sustainable Communities Strategies, but they haven't moved aggressively on the next steps: investing in transit systems and bicycle and pedestrian paths while building more affordable housing near public transit so people have alternatives to automobiles.

When people don't have good choices, bad ones are all that are left. High housing costs, especially in coastal areas, force people to live far from the jobs. With few transit options, they're left to drive. No wonder we're going the wrong way.

A bleak assessment by 13 federal agencies, released eight days ago, said climate change is accelerating and, left unchecked, it will cause economic disruptions, damage infrastructure, taint water supplies, undermine public health and force entire communities to relocate.

“Decisions made today determine risk exposure for current and future generations,” the federal report says.

It's time to act. President Donald Trump, predictably, said he isn't convinced. California's leaders say they are, but the Air Resources Board shows that they still need to prove it.

In the meantime, if you need a resolution for 2019, try leaving the car home now and then.

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