San Francisco, United States of America (USA)- California is expected to put into effect on Thursday a ban on the sale of combustion vehicles by 2035.
The rule, issued by the California Air Resources Board, will require that 100 percent of all new cars sold in the State by 2035 be free of the fossil fuel emissions chiefly responsible for warming the planet.
If the new rule passes, it would be the first such ban in the US. It also could have major implications for the US car market, given how large California’s economy is. The board’s new rule also would set interim quotas for zero-emission vehicles, focusing on new models. Starting with 2026 models, 35 percent of new cars, SUVs and small pickups sold in California would be required to be zero-emission vehicles. That quota would increase each year, expected to reach 51 percent of all new car sales in 2028, 68 percent in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035. The quotas also would allow 20 percent of zero-emission cars sold to be plug-in hybrids
California’s action comes on top of an expansive new climate law that President Joe Biden signed last week. The law will invest US$370 billion in spending and tax credits on clean energy programs, the largest action ever taken by the Federal government to combat climate change.
Experts say the new California rule, in both its stringency and reach, could stand alongside the White House law as one of the world’s most important climate change policies and could help take another significant bite out of the nation’s emissions of carbon dioxide.
Enactment of that law is projected to help the US cut its emissions 40 percent below 2005 levels by the end of this decade. The new rule is also expected to influence new policies in Washington and around the world to promote electric vehicles and cut auto pollution.
However, it will not be enough to eliminate US emissions by 2050, the target that climate scientists say all major economies must reach if the world is to avert the most catastrophic and deadly impacts of climate change.
“It’s the action we must take if we are serious about leaving this planet better off for future generations. The climate crisis is solvable if we focus on the big, bold steps necessary to stem the tide of carbon pollution,” said Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California.
