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Development of the Scoping Plan is a central requirement of AB 32, which is a bill that calls on California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The required Scoping Plan is intended to outline the approach California will take to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The comprehensive approach includes both new and existing measures in almost every sector of California's economy.

The initial AB 32 Scoping Plan included a series of proposals that would become law in 2008. The initiatives include implementing a cap-and-trade program on carbon dioxide emissions (that will be developed in conjunction with the Western Climate Initiative, to create a regional carbon market) that will require buildings and appliances to use less energy. Additionally, it requires oil companies to make cleaner fuels, and utilities to provide a third of their energy from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal power and proposes to expand and strengthen existing energy efficiency programs. The Plan will also encourage development of walkable cities with shorter commutes, high-speed rail as an alternative to air travel, and will require more hybrid vehicles to move goods and people, following the implementation of the California Clean Car law (the Pavley standards).

Several additional initiatives and measures factor into reaching the required reductions under AB 32. These include:


 * full deployment of the Million Solar Roofs initiative.
 * a fuel efficiency tire program which sets standards for tire pressure and purchasing replacement tires
 * water-related energy efficiency measures; and
 * a range of regulations to reduce emissions from trucks and from ships docked in California ports.

A key feature of the Scoping Plan is that it must be updated by the California Air Resources Board every five years. This is so California can continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions as the government sets stricter standards in recent years (as seen by Executive Order B-16-12 which was issued in 2012 and aims to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2050). Multiple public workshops are held every time a new Scoping Plan is proposed, so that the Board can receive feedback from the public before approving the updated Plan. The first update to the Scoping Plan was approved by the Board on May 22, 2014, and builds upon the original Scoping Plan by outlining new initiatives and recommendations. The update identifies possibilities to invest new and existing funds in low carbon technologies and other opportunities to continue reducing greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels in the next five years. These proposed measures focus on nine main sectors including transportation, water, energy, waste management, the cap-and-trade program, the energy efficiency of residential and non-residential buildings, and natural and agricultural lands.

In September 2006, the California State Legislature passed AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 with the goal of reducing man-made California greenhouse gas emissions (1.4% of global emissions in 2004) back to 1990 emission levels by 2020. In order to reach this goal, the California Air Resources Board has adopted a variety of legislation including plans for greener transportation, waste reduction, a cap-and-trade program, the use of new energy efficient technology and the expansion of renewable energy resources.

The greenhouse gases that AB 32 targets include:


 * Carbon dioxide
 * Methane
 * Nitrous oxide
 * Hydrofluorocarbons
 * Perfluorocarbons
 * Sulfur hexafluoride
 * Nitrogen trifluoride (was not included in the original AB Scoping Plan but was later listed as a targeted greenhouse gas via legislation)

The emissions target of AB 32 has been updated to a stricter target following Executive Order B-16-12 and B-30-15. Therefore, updates of the AB 32 Scoping Plan continue to introduce new measures in order reduce greenhouse gas emissions even further.

Funding for the implementation of AB 32 is collected from greenhouse gas emitters. This includes approximately 250 fee payers from polluters such as electricity power plants, oil refineries, cement plants and other large industries. In addition, the revenue collected from auctioning permits to greenhouse gas emitters through the cap-and-trade program is also used to fund programs under AB 32.

Adaptation Policies
Unfortunately, even as California implements many mitigation policies in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the pre-existing effects of climate change continues to impact the region. This can be seen from frequent wildfires, drought and floods. Therefore, the state issued the 2018 update of the Safeguarding California Plan which outlines over 300 ongoing actions by state agencies to reduce the effects of climate change on infrastructure, public safety and the economy.

A few examples of the hundreds of adaptation projects enacted by the state include:


 * enhancing the energy efficiency of public school districts
 * replacing roofs to prevent damage caused by wildfires
 * investing in research on climate change impact models
 * reducing the vulnerability of cities' electrical grids to heat waves
 * reforestation initiatives
 * realigning highways which have been effected by severe coastal erosion; and
 * updating irrigation systems