Torrance, CA – On this Earth Day, Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) announce the California Climate Crisis Act, Assembly Bill 1395, to codify California's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2045, and net negative emissions thereafter. It will also require the California Air Resources Board to provide a roadmap on how to get to this critical benchmark to fight the global climate crisis.
AB 1395 will:
- Require the California Air Resources Board to update the scoping plan to identify and recommend measures to achieve carbon neutrality by or before 2045, and maintain net negative emissions thereafter.
- Require a minimum of 90 percent of gross greenhouse gas emission reductions subject to the act to be achieved only through emission reductions.
- Prioritize the use of nature-based solutions in California to achieve carbon neutrality.
- Establish criteria for the use of innovative carbon capture and storage solutions for purposes of achieving these policy goals.
Assemblymember Muratsuchi declared, "On this Earth Day, we are announcing the California Climate Crisis Act. As the world's fifth largest economy. California should continue to lead our nation and planet in fighting this global crisis. We need to not only codify the goal of carbon neutrality by or before 2045, but also require the Air Resources Board to create a roadmap on how to get there through the stakeholder-driven scoping plan process. This roadmap will guide our state to carbon neutrality while at the same time create green jobs and cut down pollution particularly in the most impacted communities of color."
"There is no action more crucial to the present and future health and vitality of our communities than lowering society's carbon footprint. The most efficient means to achieve that goal is to reach carbon neutrality across our globe. On this Earth Day, AB 1395 offers a substantive public policy solution to ensure that California achieves that profound moral obligation in the next twenty years," said Assemblymember Garcia.
A special report on the impacts of global warming from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would reduce the probability, intensity, and frequency of such climate-related events. The IPCC report also notes that in order to limit warming to 1.5°C, we must reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions around 2050 with concurrent deep reductions in other greenhouse gas emissions such as methane. In order to reach net zero emissions, California needs to aggressively reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and urgently deploy negative emissions technologies to remove the GHGs already in the atmosphere.
In recognition of this crisis, Governor Brown issued Executive Order B-55-18 in September 2018, which mandates that California achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and maintain net negative emissions thereafter.
Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi represents California's 66th Assembly District, which includes El Camino Village, Gardena, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, Hermosa Beach, Lomita, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Torrance, and West Carson. Muratsuchi is the Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Climate Change Policies and the Assembly Select Committee on Aerospace. He is a member of the Assembly Committees on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials; Natural Resources; Utilities and Energy; Veterans Affairs; and Water, Parks and Wildlife.
Media Contact: Kerry Jacob, 310-806-0893