California approves plan to ban gasoline car sales by 2035 | California

California is expected to ban the sale of new gasoline cars by 2035 as the state takes dramatic steps to reduce emissions and combat the climate emergency.

In a vote Thursday, state regulators are expected to approve a plan to phase out the sale of gas-powered cars over the next 13 years in America’s largest auto market. The move was hailed as a major victory that could indicate the way forward for others.

“This is critical,” said Daniel Sperling, a member of the California Aviation Resources Board (CARP). CNN. “This is the most important thing Karp has done in the last 30 years. It is important not only for the state of California, but it is important for the country and the world.”

The vote comes two years after the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, issued an executive order demanding that new cars be sold without emissions.

In 2021, only 12% of new cars sold in California were zero-emissions, according to Karp. The new rule requires the country to reach 35% of sales by 2026, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. It will not affect cars already on the road.

The measure, which Sperling said he was almost certain to pass, would be among the first of its kind and set an example for other states that often look to California when setting their own standards. Sperling told CNN that the proposal faced “a surprising bit of controversy” and resistance from automakers, leading to increased production of electric cars. General Motors has said it plans to sell only electric cars by 2035.

Newsom noted that more than half of California’s carbon pollution comes from the transportation sector When announcing his executive order In 2020. The governor hailed the plan as a critical step in addressing the climate emergency, which has caused costly and devastating natural disasters in the state.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to combat climate change,” Newsom said at the time. “Califorians shouldn’t worry if our cars give our kids asthma. Our cars shouldn’t make wildfires worse — and create more smokey days. Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coasts.”

Research has shown that the transition to electric vehicles will have significant impacts in the United States, where transportation is the largest contributor to the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. a Report Released earlier this year by the American Lung Association found that the United States could save 110,000 American lives, $1.2 trillion in public health costs and reduce greenhouse gases by 92% by 2050 if it traded gas-powered cars for cars. Emission free.