North Carolina Clean Energy Act would stem rising pollution levels
Raleigh, NC—Global warming pollution in North Carolina increased by 36% between 1990 and 2004, according to The Carbon Boom, a new analysis of state fossil fuel consumption data by Environment North Carolina. This is the first time that 2004 state-by-state data on carbon dioxide emissions have been released.
“Given the risks from global warming, it’s incredibly irresponsible for North Carolina’s global warming pollution to increase. It’s like the doctor telling you that you need to go on a serious diet, but instead you go straight for the Ben & Jerry’s,” said Environment North Carolina Field Associate Margaret Hartzell.
The Carbon Boom 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.
Advocates touted the Clean Energy Act (HB 77), introduced by Reps. Pricey Harrison, Grier Martin, Jim Harrell, and Carolyn Justice, as a first, critical step towards curbing the state’s global warming pollution. The measure would ensure that clean, renewable sources of energy make up at least 10 percent of electricity sales by 2020, and is expected to cut global warming pollution by at least 13.6 million tons each year when fully implemented. Sen. Charlie Albertson has introduced a similar measure in the state senate.
“Global warming pollution is skyrocketing in North Carolina just as scientists are sounding alarms that we must rapidly reduce pollution to protect future generations, said Rep. Pricey Harrison. “The Clean Energy Act would be the state’s first step towards significantly curbing global warming pollution.”
Rep. Harrison serves on the Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change, which has already recommended several policies to cut greenhouse gases, including a renewable energy standard similar to the Clean Energy Act. In its final report due in 2008, the Commission is expected to recommend additional policies to curb global warming pollution.
“The good news is that we have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution in North Carolina and across the nation and forge a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Rep. Grier Martin. “The Clean Energy Act is part of that new energy future.”
Using data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy, 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 for North Carolina include:
- North Carolina ranked 4th nationwide for the largest absolute increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the 15 year period.
- Carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants jumped by 50% between 1990 and 2004, rising from 46.1 million metric tons to 69.4 million metric tons, the fourth highest increase in absolute carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants.
- Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel consumption grew from 110 million metric tons to 149.2 million metric tons between 1990 and 2004, an increase of 36%
In addition to state efforts to reduce global warming pollution, advocates called for federal action. The Safe Climate Act (H.R. 1590) and the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act (S. 309) would limit global warming pollution to levels that current science says are needed 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.
“To protect future generations, state and national leaders must take decisive action to cut global warming pollution, concluded Hartzell.
