AB 32 at 20: California Cuts Emissions 23.3%, GDP Grows 41%
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Sacramento, Calif. – September 25, 2026 -- California cut statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 23.3% between 2006 and 2023 while GDP per capita rose 41%, according to a new report from Next 10 marking two decades since Assembly Bill 32 became law.
California's clean-energy sector now employs 552,300 workers, nearly double Texas
The report, "Twenty Years of AB 32: California's Landmark Climate Law and Its Legacy," credits the 2006 law—signed by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—with establishing the nation's first economy-wide emissions cap and laying the groundwork for the state's Cap-and-Invest program. California led all U.S. states with 552,300 clean-energy jobs in 2024, nearly twice the total in second-ranked Texas.