CalEPA Climate Action Programs

Since the passage of AB 32 in 2006, California has been involved in groundbreaking climate action, setting our state’s greenhouse gas reduction targets to 1990 levels by 2020, and forming partnerships with other states and nations around the world to enact policy that can address climate change.

California’s efforts (PDF) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions span all sectors of the economy, including energy, transportation, waste and natural resources. An interactive online map shows where funds from many of these ground-breaking programs are being invested and provides a summary of climate-related investments for each of the state’s 120 legislative districts.

Moving past 2020 to 2030, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. established an ambitious 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target of 40 percent below 1990 levels. In his 2015 Inaugural Address, Governor Brown offered policy approaches ranging from increasing the use of renewable energy, to sequestering carbon in lands, to reducing the petroleum used in the vehicle sector.  Throughout the state, individuals, communities, businesses and land managers are taking on the challenge to address these climate goals with grants and incentives from governments and foundations, and voluntary and regulatory action.

Links to reports, and California’s Climate Action Team are available on the California Climate Portal.

California Climate Partnerships

California partners with other states, countries and regions around the world to achieve ambitious climate action goals. These activities maximize our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make a real difference in factors that influence global warming.

One of the key ways CalEPA is helping California build support for subnational action to address climate change is through the Subnational Global Climate Leadership Memorandum of Understanding, also known as the Under 2 MOU. Signatories to the MOU commit to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 80-95 percent against 1990 levels or to under two metric tons per capita by 2050. As of January 2016, there are 127 signatories to the MOU spanning six continents and 27 countries, representing more than 729 million people and a collective GDP of 20.4 trillion.

In addition to the Under 2 MOU, California is a founding member of the International ZEV Alliance, a collaboration of national and subnational governments working together to accelerate adoption of zero emission vehicles. There are currently 14 participants representing six countries.

California has also signed a number of agreements with other governments on climate change, including China, Mexico, Japan, the Netherlands and others. California’s international engagements related to climate change are coordinated through the Intergovernmental Climate Action Team.

Urban Heat Island Index

In 2015, CalEPA released a study on urban heat islands, "Creating and Mapping an Urban Heat Island Index for California." It defines and examines the characteristics of the urban heat island, and assigns an urban heat island index (Index) for each census tract in and around selected urban areas throughout the state. Along with other environmental studies, this research can help identify and prioritize areas for mitigation. Study documents and interactive maps are available on the Urban Heat Island Index webpage.