The state’s five-year plan for achieving its climate goals, the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) final 2022 Scoping Plan, was recently made public. Among other things, it stipulates that by 2045, at least 25% of ships operating in Californian waters must be propelled by green hydrogen fuel cells.

Following months of consultation with climate scientists and supporters, the plan has undergone major revisions. One such improvement is the start of an interagency process to phase out oil and gas extraction and processing.

In order to meet the state’s climate target, it outlines a sector-by-sector roadmap for California to become carbon neutral by 2045 or earlier. It also outlines a technologically realistic, financially viable, and equity-focused approach to do so.

The dramatic decrease of fossil fuels everywhere they are currently utilized in California, from domestic heating to transportation, is the key component of the transformation.

California aims to have the majority of ocean-going vessels using shore power by 2027 under the present At Berth legislation. The plan also suggests that by 2045, at least 25% of ships operating in Californian waters must be propelled by green hydrogen fuel cells.

According to the plan, in order to improve air quality and lessen demand for fossil fuels, all port operations would have to transfer their cargo operations to zero-emission equipment by 2037, and all drayage vehicles would have to be zero-emission by 2035.

The two largest ports in the state, Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, have been making investments in emission-free machinery for some time now. They have also started working with other ports to build green corridors and increase the usage of alternative fuels.