SACRAMENTO – Caltrans is committed to helping achieve California’s and Gov. Brown’s goal of eliminating transportation-based carbon emissions by 2045.

With this in mind, the California State Transportation Agency, or CalSTA,, which oversees Caltrans, signed onto the Transport Decarbonization Alliance, or TDA, at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco earlier in 2018.

The TDA is focused on minimizing transportation’s impact on our environment, and dramatically reducing those greenhouse gas emissions caused by traditional vehicles on the roadway every day.

The TDA is comprised of global leaders, and Caltrans (with its sustainability division at the forefront) is acting as a liaison and a binding force between the state and external partners.

Decarbonization is also critical to mitigating climate change, which is already impacting California and its transportation system through the vicious cycle of wildfires and ensuing burn scar floods and mudslides occurring year-round.

“Climate change is not a vague fear or a far off event,” said Caltrans Director Laurie Berman. “We have to be vigilant every day to combat climate change.”

The reality for most Californians is getting in their car and driving to work, often using a crowded freeway. Caltrans is aiming to help Californians walk, bike and use transit more often.

Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, is helping this push by allocating more than $750 million to transit agencies and $100 million to the Active Transportation Program (bringing better bike and pedestrian facilities to disadvantaged communities).

In this Caltrans News Flash, we demonstrate how Caltrans is pursuing the state’s decarbonization goal and bringing transportation minds together.

This News Flash is the 187th in a series of videos highlighting Caltrans’ activities that present the wide-ranging and critical work that Caltrans does to enhance California’s economy and livability. To see more of these and other videos, search for #CaltransNewsFlash on Twitter or go to http://bit.ly/1ez3LYz.