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From Union of Concerned Scientsts
Summary
Despite adding six million vehicles in the last decade, California’s gasoline consumption has dropped by over two billion gallons since its peak in 2005, thanks to more efficient cars and a rise in electric vehicles (EVs). This transition away from fossil fuels is crucial for climate goals, but careful planning is needed to phase out gasoline production while protecting affected communities and workers.
Highlights -🚗
- Gasoline Use Decline: California’s gasoline consumption decreased by over two billion gallons since 2005. 📉
- Rise in EVs: Electric vehicles now represent 5% of cars on the road, with 25% of new sales in 2023. ⚡
- Improved Efficiency: Fuel economy standards have contributed to reduced gasoline consumption per person. 🛠️
- Climate Goals: Transitioning to electric vehicles is vital for meeting climate and air quality objectives. 🌍
- Health Benefits: Reducing gasoline use lowers harmful emissions that affect public health. 🏥
- Planning Needed: A thoughtful phase-out of gasoline is essential to support affected workers and communities. 🏗️
- Accelerating Transition: Urgent measures are required to further decrease emissions and promote EV adoption. ⏩
Despite adding six million more passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs to the roads over the last 10 years, California’s gasoline consumption has dropped over two billion gallons from its peak in 2005. More efficient (and cleaner) gasoline cars are part of the reason why gasoline use is down, but the increasing number of electric vehicles being sold in the state will likely drive gasoline use down even further.
Switching from fossil fuels like gasoline to increasingly clean electricity sources is vital for hitting climate and air pollution goals. This trend is clear, but this transition away from petroleum needs to speed up to reduce emissions as fast as possible. At the same time, we need to be intentional about how we phase out gasoline production so that the people and communities that are impacted by oil production and refining can plan for this future. Phasing out the use of gasoline is a great opportunity but also beings some real challenges, and we need to plan and implement the phaseout of petroleum with care to protect workers, communities and consumers from bad behavior from the oil industry.
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Read the full post at Union of Concerned Scientsts.
