California struggling to meet ambitious climate goals

SACRAMENTO, the United States, March 15 (Xinhua) -- California is facing a tough reality check, as new data revealed the state is struggling to meet its ambitious climate goals due to rebounding emissions and a slowdown in renewable energy growth.

California would need to nearly triple its current pace of emission reductions to achieve its 2030 target, according to the annual California Green Innovation Index released on Thursday.

Through 2030, California would have to cut all greenhouse gases by 4.4 percent every year from now; but from 2016 through 2021, the state's annual average reduction rate was just 1.6 percent, the report showed.

California has set a mandated target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. This shortfall translates into a significant acceleration in emission reductions being necessary in the coming years, a task that will likely become increasingly expensive and complex, a report said.

The report, compiled by Beacon Economics and environmental nonprofit organization Next 10, found following an 8.8 percent drop in emissions in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state's total greenhouse gas emissions rebounded between 2020 and 2021, with a 3.4 percent increase in 2021.

California has set ambitious goals for clean energy, aiming for 90 percent of its electricity to come from renewable sources by 2035 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2045.

The state's 100 Percent Clean Energy Act requires 100 percent reliance on clean energy sources for electricity by 2045. However, California's current reliance on natural gas suggested a significant gap to close, with 42 percent of power generation coming from natural gas in 2022.

The report also highlighted the urgency of addressing emissions from cement production, as California has some of the most polluting cement plants globally. With increased housing construction driving up cement demand, urgent action is needed to curb emissions from this sector, said the report.

Renewable energy, pivotal to California's climate strategy, had also seen a considerable slowdown in growth since 2018, according to the report. The state needs an annual increase of 8.7 percent in renewable energy generation between 2022 and 2026 to meet its 2026 target of 50 percent of generation from renewable energy.

For the solar and wind sectors, they have met with economic headwinds and other challenges in the state.

California's solar market, the largest in the United States, encounters additional impediments with the California Solar and Storage Association reporting significant cash flow issues among its members.

Offshore wind, another key player in achieving the 2035 clean energy target, faces challenges as well. California is poised to be the first in the United States to utilize floating wind turbines. However, the technical complexities of floating offshore wind farms and recent contract cancellations in the Northeast raise doubts about its viability.

The report also underscored the increasing difficulty and cost of achieving California's climate goals as deadlines approach.

The state's legally mandated target of a 40 percent reduction by 2030 is already a considerable challenge, and the more ambitious goal of a 48 percent cut from 1990 levels by 2030 seems even more distant.