Californians and Sacramentans are choosing transportation methods — in the forms of trucks and SUVs — that produce more greenhouse gasses rather than less, and that could push the state’s attainment of greenhouse gas emission-cutting goals out by more than 100 years.
That is among the findings of the 13th annual California Green Innovation Index by Next 10 and prepared by Beacon Economics.
That statewide vehicle-choice trend is shown in Sacramento, where the top-revenue new-car dealerships, as ranked on the Sacramento Business Journal’s New-Car Dealers list, sell a lot of trucks.
The top three new-car dealers in the Sacramento area all share a common theme: Their best sellers are trucks and SUVs. Those top dealers ranked in order are Future Ford Lincoln of Roseville, Elk Grove Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and John L. Sullivan Chevrolet in Roseville.
The greatest revenue increase posted by local new-car dealers in 2018 was 33%, scored by Niello Volvo at Madison Avenue and Interstate 80. Volvo Car USA said in January that its record sales in 2018 were driven by its sports utility crossover vehicle the XC60, which gets 20 mpg in city driving and 27 on the highway, according to Car and Driver magazine.
The Next 10 study showed that transportation emissions hit a record high in 2017, accounting for 41.1% of the state’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Passenger vehicles account for 28%.
The report found that “car ownership rates and vehicle miles travelled also hit new highs in 2017, while consumer preferences have shifted markedly toward less-efficient vehicles.”
In the fourth quarter of 2018, the report shows, “light-duty pickup trucks, mini-vans, and SUVs made up 57.3% of new vehicle registrations, up from 39.3% five years ago.”
Under the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, the state’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030.
With current trends in personal vehicle choices, the state is likely to miss the goal by more than 100 years, the study said.
One of the bright spots in the report was the electricity sector, where the industry has seen continuous progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions since 2000.
“California has made tremendous gains cutting pollution without detrimental economic impacts,” said F. Noel Perry, a venture capitalist and founder of the nonpartisan think tank Next 10, in a news release. “The state’s per capita GDP has grown more than 41% while per capita greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by just over 25% since 1990. But this year’s Index serves as a wake-up call — we’re going to need major policy breakthroughs and deep structural changes if we’re going to deliver the much steeper emissions reductions required in the years ahead.”
State policymakers fear that not meeting the state's climate goals will lead to more extreme weather effects such as longer fire seasons, hotter high temperatures and rising water levels.