Southeast Pollution Increase the Largest in the Country
Raleigh—Global warming pollution in North Carolina
jumped 171% between 1960 and 2001, according to The Carbon Boom, a new
analysis of government
data released today by Environment North Carolina. The report also
found that pollution increased more in the Southeast than in any other
region over the four decades.
“When you find yourself in a
hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging. To protect future generations from the
effects of global warming, we need to stop this trend of increasing pollution,”
said Environment North Carolina State Director Elizabeth Ouzts.
Existing energy efficiency
and renewable energy technologies could substantially reduce global warming
pollution. The federal government has so
far rejected mandatory pollution limits, while state leaders have convened a
special study commission to examine the need for curbing the pollutants that
are causing the planet’s temperature to rise.
Using data compiled by the U.S.
Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environment North
Carolina’s report examines trends in carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel
combustion nationally and by North Carolina between 1960 and 2001, the most recent year for which
state-by-state data are available. Major
findings of the report include:
- North Carolina emitted 52.4 million metric tons
of carbon dioxide in 1960; by 2001, North Carolina’s emissions had grown
to 142.0 million metric tons, an increase of 171%. North Carolina ranks 8th nationwide for
the largest overall increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the four
decades.
- Regionally, carbon dioxide emissions grew the most in the
Southeast and Gulf South over the four decades, with emissions increasing
by 812.4 million metric tons (163 percent) and 689.7 million metric tons
(175 percent), respectively. In the
Southeast, 50 percent of the increase resulted from coal combustion.
- In North Carolina, increased coal combustion – primarily to
generate electricity – accounted for 53% of North Carolina’s increase in carbon dioxide emissions from 1960
to 2001. Increased combustion of
oil contributed 37% of North Carolina’s growth in emissions from 1960 to 2001.
The state’s global warming
study commission is scheduled to resume its meetings after the 2006 Legislative
Short Session. Environment North Carolina is calling on the Commission to set a goal of
reducing global warming pollution by 10% by 2020 to set the State on a path
towards reductions of 80% or more by 2050.
Members of Congress will also
introduce legislation today that sets comparable targets for the country as a
whole.
