California orders all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 (Executive Order N-79-20)
On 23 September 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20, directing the California Air Resources Board to require that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, with medium- and heavy-duty trucks following by 2045 where feasible. In the causal graph this event strengthens Decarbonization and climate-mitigation policy, a driver that weakens Global CO2 emissions per capita — an improving welfare path.
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On 23 September 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Executive Order N-79-20, directing the California Air Resources Board to require that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, with medium- and heavy-duty trucks following by 2045 where feasible. It made California the first US state to set such a mandate, which CARB later codified in the Advanced Clean Cars II regulation.
Who was responsible
Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.
Gavin Newsom
PersonDirect responsibility
verified
Newsom issued Executive Order N-79-20 directing California agencies to develop the 2035 zero-emission new-vehicle sales rule and supporting infrastructure measures. The contribution records the order, not a claim that the final regulation took effect immediately.
What changed
Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.
- FactCalifornia orders all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 (Executive Order N-79-20)
- strengthensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicators (3)Global CO2 emissions per capita
impact weight 0.6 · Effect from 23 September 2020 · verified
A first-in-the-nation US state mandate to phase out new internal-combustion vehicle sales strengthens decarbonization policy by targeting transport, a leading emissions sector.
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.36 (weight 0.6 × strength 0.6)
Observed
4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year · 2.43 above the normal line (2024)
Worse than normalTwo readings: 4.71 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2023) and 4.73 tonnes CO2 per person per year (2024).
20232024 Above normal = worse
Weakens · Relationship strength 0.3 (weight 0.6 × strength 0.5)
Observed
32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) · 27.9 above the normal line (2023)
Worse than normal3 readings, 2021–2023: fell from 33.2 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted) to 32.9 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean, population-weighted).
Above normal = worse
- Better
Strengthens · Relationship strength 0.24 (weight 0.6 × strength 0.4)
Observed
30% of electricity generation · 11 above the normal line (2023)
Better than normal6 readings, 2000–2023: rose from 18.9% of electricity generation to 30% of electricity generation.
Above normal = better
Causal path
How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.
- ActorGavin Newsom
- contributed toFactCalifornia orders all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 (Executive Order N-79-20)
- strengthensDriverDecarbonization and climate-mitigation policy
- weakensIndicatorGlobal CO2 emissions per capita
Cite this page
Factrail. (2026). California orders all new car sales to be zero-emission by 2035 (Executive Order N-79-20). Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/env-fact-ca-zev-2035-order-2020
https://factrail.ai/facts/env-fact-ca-zev-2035-order-2020
Accessed 15 October 2026.
By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed
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