MOVING CALIFORNIA FORWARD

This executive summary analyzes the role of smart land use policy in helping California achieve its 2030 goal of reducing carbon emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels. Using the RapidFire model and E3 California Pathways study, the report demonstrates that compact, transit-oriented development can close the emissions gap left by energy technology alone and provide significant economic, public health, and environmental co-benefits.

• Smart land use policy is essential for California to meet its 2030 target of reducing carbon emissions by at least 40% below 1990 levels. When combined with the 'Early Deployment' energy technology scenario, 'More Compact' and 'Infill Focus' land use scenarios provide additional reductions of 9-12 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), resulting in statewide reductions of 40-41% below 1990 emissions.
• The 'Infill Focus' scenario, where 85% of new housing and jobs are added within existing urban boundaries, offers the highest quantified co-benefits by 2030. These include cumulative household cost savings of $91.1 billion, avoided public health costs of $8.2 billion, and infrastructure cost savings of $18.5 billion.
• To achieve a 50% reduction in oil use for transportation by 2030, the analysis indicates that a 2% reduction from current total vehicle miles traveled (VMT) levels would be required, assuming the E3 Early Deployment scenario for other variables.
• The report recommends that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) strengthen emissions reduction targets under SB 375 and provide substantial funding to help cities and regions implement target-compliant land use plans.

APA

Busch, C., Lew, E., & DiStefano, J. (2015). MOVING CALIFORNIA FORWARD. Energy Innovation. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Moving-Forward-Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf

Chicago

Busch, Chris, Erika Lew, and Joe DiStefano. MOVING CALIFORNIA FORWARD. Energy Innovation, 2015. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Moving-Forward-Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Busch |first1=Chris |last2=Lew |first2=Erika |last3=DiStefano |first3=Joe |title=MOVING CALIFORNIA FORWARD |publisher=Energy Innovation |date=September 2015 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Moving-Forward-Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{busch2015moving, author = {Busch, Chris and Lew, Erika and DiStefano, Joe}, title = {{MOVING CALIFORNIA FORWARD}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2015}, month = sep, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Moving-Forward-Summary-for-Policymakers.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }