In this Aug. 18, 2011 file photo, A Nissan Leaf charges at a electric vehicle charging station in Portland, Ore. Oregon has signed on to the International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance, with a goal of having all new cars sold within its jurisdiction be emission-free by 2050. Rick Bowmer / AP File

Oregon — along with a group of five countries and seven states — used the Paris climate change conference to set lofty new emission goals.

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The International Zero-Emission Vehicle Alliance announced the goal of having all new cars sold within its jurisdiction be emission-free by 2050.

That jurisdiction includes Oregon and seven other states, as well as Quebec, Canada; Germany; the Netherlands; Norway and the United Kingdom.

Dave Nordberg, with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, called it an aspirational goal, but not outside the realm of possibility.

"I'm encouraged," Nordberg said. "We’ve been doing the analysis for several years now and not really making progress for meeting our greenhouse gas reduction targets.

"With this and what has happened in Paris over the last weekend," he said, referring to a 196-country climate agreement, "I take considerable encouragement from it."

The ZEV Alliance accounts for about 7 percent of global vehicle sales, but 38 percent of electric-vehicle sales.

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