Dear California Air Resources
Board,
On behalf of myself, Orchard City
Indivisible and Together We Will Indivisible Los Gatos, both groups
based in Silicon Valley, we urge you to restore California’s
state, national, and global leadership in the climate crisis
response by accelerating the transition to 100% electric vehicles
and strengthening requirements on new gas-powered
vehicles.
Climate pollution from gas-powered cars and
trucks makes up 40 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in
California. These vehicles are a massive driver of the climate
emergency. Historically,
we’ve led the nation on setting strong auto emissions
standards — but the current clean cars proposal falls short
of the climate action we need.
the 2035 timeline
for 100% zero-emission
vehicle sales will delay California meeting its goal of carbon neutrality by 2045
because many new fossil fuel powered vehicles will last 20 years or
longer. We urge you to move that target to 2030 to give our state a
fighting chance in meeting its 2045 climate goals and remaining a
global leader on clean car adoption.
We draw your attention to the April 4, 2022 IPCC "Sixth
Assessment Report, Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate
Change" key finding: The world must
decrease global oil and gas production and consumption by 30
percent between now and 2030. California must join the
world to act
immediately to transition to a low-carbon economy or it is likely
we will face a global rise in temperature between 2.4 degrees C and
3.5 degrees C by 2100.
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-3/
Meanwhile, CARB cannot ignore the
climate-damaging emissions from new gas-powered cars. We need to
take immediate action to assure those cars emit less pollutants for
decades. This action is
also critical to protect the health of communities hit hardest by
tailpipe pollution. Cancer-causing vehicle exhaust harms
Californian's health -- particularly low-income communities of
color living near congested freeways. California must lead the way with strong
policy solutions to build an environmentally just transportation
system. New clean car standards must ensure equitable access to
electric vehicles.
We urge you to adopt strong clean car rules
that require:
-
100
percent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030
-
7
percent annual pollution cuts from fossil fuel powered cars during
their lifetime
-
Mandatory equity commitments to ensure that communities
most negatively affected by pollution will reap the benefits, first
and foremost, from California's electric vehicle
conversion
This transition is a tremendous opportunity
for CARB to adopt nation-leading clean car standards that address
greenhouse gas emissions, slash climate pollution and ensures
equity.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Brown
Member
Orchard
City Indivisible
Together We Will Indivisible Los
Gatos
|