Trump announces withdrawal from the Paris climate agreements. California's response is the approval of a bill to abandon fossil fuels and reach 100 per cent renewable energy.
California will be one hundred per cent renewable. The state governed by Jerry Brown has approved a bill aimed at meeting its own energy needs by 2045 using only renewable sources.
Senator Kevin de León described the bill's approval in the Senate, achieved with a majority of 23 votes to 13, as a historic day: "We have surpassed the most ambitious goal in the world to grow clean energy and put Californians to work." The bill gained momentum precisely when Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement: "Regardless of what Washington does, California will show the way forward," said de León. "We are sending a clear message to the rest of the world: no president, no matter how desperately he tries to ignore reality, is able to stop our progress."
The Golden State's commitment to renewables has always been a central plank of state energy policy. The target of 100 per cent renewables by 2045 has in effect raised the bar on the goals currently in force in the state, which aim to reach 50 per cent clean energy by 2030. If the bill is passed — the final vote in the Legislative Assembly is still to come — California will completely abandon electricity generated from fossil fuels in fewer than three decades, accelerating its own phased pathway: by 2026, it should be able to reach the target of 50 per cent energy from renewable sources, rising to 60 per cent in 2030.
Environment California, a Californian environmental group, applauded the approval of Senator de León's proposal and his vision of securing a clean future for the Sunshine State. "Now more than ever," commented Michelle Kinman, a lawyer for the organisation, "California must press forward on clean and renewable energy and become a strong example for the other member states. Reaching 100 per cent renewable energy is possible; and 100 per cent is 100 per cent necessary." Leonardo DiCaprio also celebrated the California vote: "Great reminder that the future is in our hands," he wrote on Twitter.
To date, California is the second country in the world to have adopted such a radical approach to energy. The other is Denmark, which within the next three years will produce half of its electricity from renewable sources — a goal within touching distance: the country is, in fact, the world's largest producer of wind energy. As recently as 22 February, the country's entire energy needs were met by wind power. In news from just a few days ago, Hawaii became the first US federal state to "sign" the Paris Agreement. In their case too, the goal is to reach 2045 using energy solely from renewable sources, having already said no to coal, oil and natural gas and cutting all allocations for fossil fuels.
