Dive Brief:

• California will likely meet its 2020 greenhouse gas reduction goals, but faces more serious challenges in reaching its 2050 emissions reduction targets, according to state regulators.
• To help meet its 80% mid-century reduction target, the state should set interim 2030 goals, the California Air Resources Board said.
• "We have to accelerate our efforts to become more efficient," California Air Resources Board (CARB) Chairwoman Mary Nichols said. "The overarching test of everything we do is its impact on global climate change."

Dive Insight:

California is a leader on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. CARB's acknowledgement of how difficult it will be to reach the 80% reduction target is a sign of how challenging it will be to lower emissions in the U.S. where some people and well-funded industries oppose taking steps that would cut carbon emissions.