Note: Emissions data that allows for state-level comparison is from the Energy ?Information Administration and is limited to carbon emissions (fossil fuel combustion). Therefore, data represented here differs from analyses represented in other charts of total GHG emissions for California.
Data Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy; Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Analysis by CEC Economics
Highlights
- Among the fifty states (excluding the District of Columbia), California maintained its position as the third-least carbon-intensive state (defined as MTCO2e relative to inflation-adjusted GDP) in 2023. The state reached 0.084 emissions (metric tons) per 1,000 dollars of GDP (inflation-adjusted to 2023 dollars), behind only New York (0.076 MTCO2e/$1,000) and Massachusetts (0.077 MTCO2e/$1,000).
- From 2000 to 2023, California’s carbon intensity declined at a pace of 3.3% per year (CAGR), ahead of the rest of the U.S. (-2.9% CAGR). However, carbon intensity fell by only 1.9% year-over-year from 2022 to 2023, lagging behind the rest of the U.S. (-6.1%). Only three states (Georgia, Idaho, and South Carolina) had smaller reductions in carbon intensity than California from 2022 to 2023 while four other states (Arizona, Maine, Oregon, and Rhode Island) actually had higher carbon intensities in 2023 than in 2022.
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