California has announced its goal of committing to solely carbon-free electricity sources by 2045.
Governor Jerry Brown signed the deal on Monday, whilst also saying he vowed to honour the 2015 Paris climate deal.
California is the second state, following Hawaii, to commit to carbon-free energy.
“There is no understating the importance of this measure,” said Brown on Monday, with plans to “continue down that path to transition our economy to zero carbon emissions.”
“We want others to do likewise, and if enough people often enough do what is needed we will curb global warming,” Brown said. “But we’re definitely at the beginning of what’s going to be a long and difficult and contentious journey.”
The path chosen for California is different from Donald Trump’s environment policy. Trump said last year that he plans to pull the US out of the deal and negotiate a new “fair” deal for US businesses.
“It’s impossible to overstate how significant it is for a state as large and influential as California to commit to 100 percent clean energy,” the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, said in a statement.
“California is showing the world that a transition to 100 percent clean energy is within reach and it will continue to drive the transition away from fossil fuels — and it is doing this while the federal government abandons clean energy.”
A statement from a Pacific Gas & Electric spokesperson has said that prices could reportedly rise for customers following the new law.
“If it’s not affordable, it’s not sustainable,” it read.
