Per capita GHG emissions in California have dropped from a 2001 peak of 14.0 metric tons per person to 10.5 metric tons per person in 2019, a 25% decrease and about half the national average for per capita emissions.
Overall trends demonstrate that the carbon intensity of California’s economy is declining. Economic carbon intensity measures the amount of carbon emitted per million dollars of production. From 2000 to 2019, the carbon intensity of California’s economy decreased by 45% while the state’s GDP increased by 63%.