California Climate Solutions
An overview of California’s climate plans, tools, and resources PlansTools and ResourcesPlans
AB 32 Climate Change Scoping Plan
In 2006, the Legislature passed the AB 32 California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which required the California Air Resources Board to develop a Scoping Plan that describes California’s approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The Scoping Plan was first approved by CARB in 2008 and must be updated at least every five years. The Draft 2022 Scoping Plan assesses progress toward the statutory 2030 target, while laying out a path to achieving carbon neutrality no later than 2045.
California Climate Adaptation Strategy
The California Climate Adaptation Strategy, mandated by Assembly Bill 1482 (Gordon, 2015), links together the state’s existing and planned climate adaptation efforts, showing how they fit together to achieve California’s six climate resilience priorities. The Strategy is organized around outcome-based priorities, enabling a coordinated, integrated approach to building climate resilience.
Extreme Heat Action Plan
This plan outlines a strategic and comprehensive set of state actions to address extreme heat, and serves as an update to the “Preparing California for Extreme Heat Guidance and Recommendations” report released in 2013. The substance and organization of this plan was guided by extensive public input, collected over the course of 2021 and 2022, including through five public listening sessions, ten regional workshops, and numerous consultations with California Native American tribes.
Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy
The Short-Lived Climate Pollutant (SLCP) Reduction Strategy is California’s plan for reducing emissions of high global-warming potential gases with short atmospheric lifetimes. SLCPs include the greenhouse gases methane and hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), and anthropogenic black carbon. Senate Bill 1383 mandates a 40 percent reduction in methane and HFC emissions by 2030 and a 50 percent reduction in anthropogenic emissions of black carbon by 2030.
Short-Lived Climate Pollutant Reduction Strategy
California Transportation Plan
The California Transportation Plan (CTP) 2050 is a policy framework that provides a common vision for the future of our transportation system. The CTP 2050 is a roadmap for making effective, equitable, transparent, and transformational transportation decisions in California. The CTP 2050 is a product of an open and collaborative approach with the State’s transportation partners and stakeholders, and is the result of an extensive, multi-faceted public engagement process that responds to federal and state laws and regulations regarding public engagement.
Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure
The Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) details how the state recommends investing billions of discretionary transportation dollars annually to aggressively combat and adapt to climate change while supporting public health, safety and equity. CAPTI builds on executive orders signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019 and 2020 targeted at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in transportation, which account for more than 40 percent of all emissions, to reach the state’s ambitious climate goals.
Zero-Emission Vehicle Market Development Strategy
The ZEV Market Development Strategy is meant to help California collectively move forward and deliver zero-emission benefits to all Californians. It outlines how state agencies and stakeholder groups key to our transition can move together with the scale and speed required to reach the state’s ZEV targets.
Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy
In April 2022, California released its Natural and Working Land Climate Smart Strategy, a call to action on the biodiversity and climate change crises through nature-based solutions. The Strategy will drive implementation of the Governor’s Executive Order N-82-20 and expanded climate action in this sector, which has been called for in California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan and California’s recently updated Climate Adaptation Strategy.
Pathways to 30x30 Strategy
California’s strategy to accelerate conservation of California’s lands and coastal waters was released in April 2022. Implementation of this strategy will be carried out with the California Natural Resources Agency through the 30×30 Partnership and guided by CA Nature. The Pathways to 30×30 Strategy sets California on the path to successfully implement our 30×30 conversation goal of conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.
California Climate Investments (CCI) Investment Plan
To guide the investment of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds, the Department of Finance, in consultation with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and other State agencies (Administration), is required to submit an Investment Plan to the Legislature every three years. The Investment Plan identifies priority investments that will help California achieve its greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals while realizing additional health, economic, and environmental benefits. Priority investment types identified in the Investment Plan do not guarantee funding but rather provide guidance to the Legislature on potential funding opportunities.
California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan
A comprehensive strategy of the Governor’s Forest Management Task Force, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan is designed to strategically accelerate efforts to:
- Restore the health and resilience of California forests, grasslands and natural places;
- Improve the fire safety of our communities; and
- Sustain the economic vitality of rural forested areas.
California Drought Response
After two exceptionally dry winters, California is once again experiencing drought conditions. The state is taking action by:
- Giving agencies the tools they need to tackle the drought emergency.
- Addressing long-standing water challenges.
- Securing vital and limited water supplies to sustain our state into the future.
Since our last major drought (2012-16), California is much less vulnerable to drought. State agencies provided key lessons in a comprehensive report. Learn more about state and regional efforts to reduce drought vulnerability.
California Water Resilience Portfolio
Water is central to nearly everything we value in California. Healthy communities, economies, farms, ecosystems and cultural traditions depend on steady supplies of safe and affordable water. Those values are increasingly at risk as California confronts more extreme droughts and floods, rising temperatures, overdrafted groundwater basins, aging infrastructure and other challenges magnified by climate change. For some of California’s most vulnerable populations, the risks are particularly acute. The Water Resilience Portfolio was developed to improve California’s capacity to prepare for disruptions, withstand and recover from climate-related shocks, and adapt into the future.
Strategic Plan to Protect California's Coast and Ocean
Ocean Protection Council’s Strategic Plan to Protect California’s Coast and Ocean 2020-2025 recognizes the threats that climate change poses to the State’s coastal and ocean ecosystems and provides a roadmap for protecting and adapting these resources in the face of sea-level rise, ocean acidification and hypoxia, ocean warming, and other climate-driven stressors. The Strategic Plan also prioritizes understanding the role of California’s network of marine protected areas in providing ecosystem resilience to climate change and ensuring fisheries and fishing communities can adapt and thrive in changing ocean conditions.
California Sea-Level Rise Guidance
The Ocean Protection Council, in coordination with coastal and ocean state agencies and the Governor’s Office of Planning Research, leads the development of the State’s Sea-Level Rise Guidance Policy and subsequent updates every five years. The Guidance is used by California’s coastal zone management agencies to support planning and permitting activities. The 2018 update incorporated advances in ice loss science and projections of sea-level rise and includes guidance to address the needs of both state agencies and local governments.
Integrated Energy Policy Report
California is working to make sweeping changes in its energy system to address climate change, improve air quality, and make sure that all Californians share in the benefits of the state’s clean energy future. The IEPR assesses a variety of energy trends and issues to inform our decision-making as we work to create an energy system that is clean, modern, and safe, while increasing its resiliency to climate change and improving the equity of how clean energy benefits are realized.
California Forest Carbon Plan
Our state is blessed with 33 million acres of forestland and an urban forest canopy that together capture and clean our water supply, provide habitat for countless wildlife, cool our cities, support local economies, and serve as spiritual and cultural centers for indigenous and local communities across the state. Forested lands also are the largest land-based carbon sink. This plan lays out recommended actions to achieve healthy and resilient forests based on what we know today about our forests and how climate change will evolve in California.
2020 Mobile Source Strategy
The California Air Resources Board 2020 Mobile Source Strategy uses scenario planning to take an integrated approach to identifying the technology trajectories and programmatic concepts to meet our criteria pollutant, greenhouse gas, and toxic air contaminant reduction goals from mobile sources.
Tools and Resources
California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment
California’s Climate Change Assessments contribute to the scientific foundation for understanding climate-related vulnerability at the local scale and informing resilience actions, while also directly informing State policies, plans, programs, and guidance, to promote effective and integrated action to safeguard California from climate change.
California GHG Emission Inventory Data
California’s annual statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission inventory is an important tool for establishing historical emission trends and tracking California’s progress in reducing GHGs. In concert with data collected through various California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) programs, the GHG inventory is a critical piece in demonstrating the state’s progress in achieving the statewide GHG target. The inventory provides estimates of anthropogenic GHG emissions within California, as well as emissions associated with imported electricity; natural sources are not included in the inventory.
Adaptation Clearinghouse
The Adaptation Clearinghouse is the State of California’s consolidated searchable database of resources for local, regional and statewide climate adaptation planning and decision-making. Search and explore resources for adaptation and resiliency efforts in California.
Save Our Water
Learn how to save water by exploring the resources and the Save Our Water Toolkit.
Ready for Wildfire
Learn how to prepare for wildfires. Use CAL FIRE’s new web-based app to create your custom wildfire preparedness action plan, get text messages on wildfire incidents near you, and learn how to create a Wildfire Action Plan and Evacuation Plan Checklist.
California Climate Investments Data Dashboard
California Climate Investments puts billions of dollars of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, improving public health and the environment, and providing meaningful benefits to the most disadvantaged communities, low-income communities, and low-income households.
CERI-Climate
California owns and operates over 600 facilities that are critical to the state’s ability to respond to disasters. The California Emergency Response Infrastructure Climate Vulnerability Tool (CERI-Climate) is a decision-support tool that helps evaluate the risk to these facilities from flood and wildfire and how climate change may affect these risks.
Community Air Protection Program Resource Center
The Community Air Protection Program Online Resource Center is a one-stop shop to obtain data, guidance, and tools to support improving air quality at the community scale. The Resource Center serves as a centralized repository of information and resources for use by community members, air districts, and the public.
California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force
Governor Newsom created the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force to bring together an unprecedented coalition of the best available resources for preventing catastrophic wildfires by creating healthier, more sustainable natural environments. The Governor’s Task Force is a proactive effort that is already showing progress towards long term forest health and safe, sustainable coexistence with fire.
DriveClean Incentive Search
DriveClean is a resource for car buyers that are looking to find the cleanest, most efficient car that meets their driving needs. DriveClean was developed by the California Air Resources Board to provide information, tools and resources to learn about advanced vehicle technologies and incentives to help everyone find the cleanest car that suits their lifestyle. In 2020, DriveClean.ca.gov became DriveClean-California.org as part of a redesign that coordinated with other state websites and partner programs, such as ElectricForAll.org.
CDPH CalBRACE Adaptation Toolkit
This collection of tools, reports, and guides helps local health departments and communities understand, and plan to address the health risks of climate change.
Climate Change Assessment Tools and Resources
The Fourth California Climate Change Assessment funded the development and enhancement of several tools and resources to support climate action. Access the following tools and resources:
- Cal-Adapt
- The California Heat Assessment Tools (Cal-Heat)
- USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS)
- USGS Hazard Exposure Reporting & Analytics (HERA)
- Adaptation Capability Advancement Toolkit (Adapt-CA)
CCHVIz
CCHVIz is the interactive data visualization platform for the Climate Change & Health Vulnerability Indicators for California (CCHVIs). It is produced by the Climate Change and Health Equity Section — CalBRACE Project, part of the California Department of Public Health.
California Grants Portal
The California Grants Portal, managed by the California State Library, is a one-stop-shop to find all grants and loans offered on a competitive or first-come basis by California state agencies.
Community Resilience Centers
The Strategic Growth Council’s Community Resilience Centers program will fund new construction and upgrades of neighborhood-level resilience centers to provide shelter and resources during climate and other emergencies. The program will also fund year-round services and ongoing programming that build overall community resilience.
CAL FIRE Incidents Overview
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) responds to all types of emergencies. When the Department responds to a major CAL FIRE jurisdiction incident, the Department will post incident details to the web site. Major emergency incidents could include large, extended-day wildfires (10 acres or greater), floods, earthquakes, hazardous material spills, etc. This is a summary of all incidents, including those managed by CAL FIRE and other partner agencies.
CalEPA Environmental Mapping Tools and Data
Access the following Environmental Mapping Tools and Data: