Global Warming News

On Eve of Global Warming Meetings in Denmark, State Action Demonstrating U.S. Leadership

Philadelphia, PA—The United States, long considered a laggard in addressing global warming, is poised to achieve large reductions in global warming pollution thanks to clean energy policies adopted over the past decade by state governments in Pennsylvania and across the country, according to a new report written by the Environment America Research & Policy Center, and released today by PennEnvironment.

“While there’s no doubt that Congress must pass a comprehensive climate bill, our research shows that Pennsylvania and other states have delivered a down payment on significant pollution reductions,” said Nathan Willcox, Energy & Clean Air Advocate for PennEnvironment.

The new report, America on the Move, released just days before world leaders convene in Copenhagen, Denmark to negotiate an international agreement on global warming, found that state policies will reduce global warming pollution by approximately 536 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year by 2020 compared to business as usual. 

State policies in Pennsylvania are projected to account for 9.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent per year by 2020 compared to business as usual.  State-level policies which are expected to reap the largest pollution reductions include the state’s renewable electricity standard (3.1 million metric tons), and energy efficiency and conservation standard (1.4 million metric tons).

The emission reductions projected nationally are significant. They represent:

• More global warming pollution than is currently emitted annually by all but eight of the world’s nations;
• Approximately 7 percent of U.S. global warming pollution in 2007;
• Annual emissions from 104 million cars – about 42 percent of the nation’s motor vehicles;
• Annual emissions from 163 coal-fired power plants – about 27 percent of the nation’s coal-fired power plant fleet.

“America’s clean energy revolution – led by states like Pennsylvania – shows that the nation is ready to tackle the challenge of global warming,” said Willcox.  “President Obama should take the next step by working to forge a strong agreement to address global warming during the international negotiations in Copenhagen.”

America on the Move reviewed more than 100 policies adopted by states, most of them enacted over the past decade, and estimated the emission reductions that will result from those actions.

For example, while the U.S. Congress has yet to adopt a binding national limit on global warming pollution, six U.S. states – California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland and New Jersey –  have adopted such limits. These six states account for nearly a quarter of America’s economic output and 13 percent of its fossil fuel-related carbon dioxide emissions. If these six states were a separate country, they would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy and seventh-leading emitter of carbon dioxide.

Collectively, these six states have committed to reducing global warming pollution by approximately 13 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Including a regional cap on power plant emissions adopted by 10 northeastern states, mandatory emission caps will reduce U.S. emissions by approximately 270 million metric tons per year by 2020 – a level of carbon dioxide pollution comparable to that produced annually by the Netherlands or Turkey.

According to the report, additional reductions will result from a variety of clean energy policies adopted by multiple states, including renewable electricity standards adopted by Pennsylvania and 28 other states, energy efficiency resource standards adopted by Pennsylvania and 21 other states, and a variety of other policies.

Moreover, since President Obama’s inauguration in January, the federal government has implemented several policies initiated by the states nationwide—including limits on vehicle global warming pollution adopted by Pennsylvania and 13 other states, strong energy efficiency standards for appliances and lighting, and strong building energy codes. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, passed by Congress in February, also supports a variety of state and local programs to save energy and reduce global warming pollution.

“When it comes to America’s response to global warming, what’s happening on Capitol Hill is only half the story,” said Willcox.  “States have great power to reduce global warming pollution within their borders and many states are now using that power to implement clean energy policies that rival those in place anywhere in the world.”

PennEnvironment urged the federal government to require reductions in global warming pollution in the United States consistent with the reductions science tells us are necessary to prevent the worst impacts of global warming—specifically, emission reductions of 35 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and at least 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050, with the vast majority of those reductions to occur domestically. It also encouraged the federal government to implement the best clean energy policies in place at the state level, and urged states to continue to take leadership in adopting and implementing policies to reduce global warming pollution.

“States have been called America’s ‘laboratories of democracy,’” said Willcox. “By taking strong action to address global warming, states are showing the nation – and the world – that a clean energy future is within our reach.”