Boston—A new analysis of federal fuel use data
has found that emissions of global warming are on
the rise across the nation, but have stayed basically flat in
Massachusetts between 1990 and 2004. This is the first time that 2004
state-by-state data on carbon dioxide emissions have been released.
The
release came on the same day that Congressman Ed Markey and Mayor Tom
Menino of Boston hosted a town-hall style meeting on global warming at
the newly renovated Boston Children’s Museum. Both men called for
local, state, and federal leadership to solve global warming.
“Our
trend is better than anyone else’s,” said Frank Gorke, Director of
Environment Massachusetts, “in part thanks to the leadership of people
like Mayor Menino and Congressman Markey. But we still have a long road
ahead of us to get the deep pollution reductions we’ll need – as much
as 80% by 2050 – to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. That’s
why we’re calling for a strong cap on global warming pollution. A
strong cap will make sure we start using the tools in our toolbox today
– energy efficiency, renewable fuels – that will cut global warming
pollution and get us on the right track. And, a strong cap will drive
inventors and investors to develop the next generation of solutions.”
Environment
Massachusetts’ report comes less than a week after the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. body charged with
assessing the scientific record on global warming, released its
consensus report on the current and projected impacts of global
warming. The report warned of increasing droughts, floods, heat waves,
water stress, forest fires, and coastal flooding in the United States
but concluded that “many impacts can be avoided, reduced, or delayed”
by quickly and significantly reducing global warming pollution.
“Global
warming pollution is skyrocketing nationally just as scientists are
sounding alarms that we must rapidly reduce pollution to protect future
generations. This report is a wake-up call to cap pollution levels
now, and plan for deep reductions soon, before it is too late,” said
Gorke.
Using data compiled by the U.S.
Department of Energy, Environment Massachusetts’ new report, The Carbon
Boom, examines trends in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel
consumption between 1990 and 2004, the most recent year for which
state-by-state data are available.
Major findings of the report include:
- *National
picture: Nationwide, emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel
consumption increased by 18% between 1990 and 2004. Coal-fired power
plants and the transportation sector—especially cars and SUVs—drove
this emissions increase.
- *Emissions levels: Massachusetts’ carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption stayed relatively flat.
- *Warning
signs: A closer look at sector-by-sector emissions levels in the state
reveals that Massachusetts’ flat line is largely a result of shifting
electricity production from dirtier coal and oil to cleaner natural
gas-fired power plants. At the same time, transportation sector
emissions rose significantly.
- *Huge increase in use
of natural gas: In Massachusetts, carbon dioxide emissions from natural
gas-fired power plants increased by 156% between 1990 and 2004, rising
from 3.4 million metric tons to 8.6 million metric tons.
- *Big
jump in vehicle emissions: In Massachusetts, carbon dioxide emissions
from burning gasoline (primarily in cars and SUVs) increased by 19%
between 1990 and 2004, rising from 20.6 million metric tons to 24.5
million metric tons. Over the same period, vehicle miles traveled in
Massachusetts also increased by 19%.
“This
is a good news/bad news story for Massachusetts,” said Gorke. “The flat
line is good news, but it’s not a pure success story. It’s partly
through action and partly through accident. For example, a big chunk of
the avoided emissions came from building new natural gas plants after
deregulating the electricity sector, not because of any specific
climate policy. And most people agree we’re already too dependent on
natural gas, so we’ve probably maxed out that emissions reduction
strategy. And, the rise in vehicle emissions is a significant problem.
Moreover, flat is not good enough. We need to have a clear plan to get
80% reductions by the middle of this century – and right now, we’re not
on that path at all. We’re going to look to leaders like Mayor Menino
and Congressman Markey to put us on the right track.”
Several
proposals at the state and federal level would tackle global warming
emissions. In Massachusetts, Senators Marc Pacheco and Robert O’Leary
have both filed bills to cap global warming pollution. At the federal
level, the Safe Climate Act (H.R. 1590), introduced by Representative
Henry Waxman (CA) and supported by every member of the Massachusetts
delegation in the House, and the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act
(S. 309), introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders (VT) and Barbara Boxer
(CA) in the Senate, would limit global warming pollution to levels that
current science says are necessary to prevent the worst effects of
global warming. The bills would freeze U.S. global warming emissions
in 2010 and reduce emissions by about 15% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.
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