Energy Reports
Search
•
RSS Feed
Executive Summary
Introduction
In August of 2001, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP) agreed to a comprehensive Climate Change Action Plan with the long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the region by 75-85%. As that plan accurately pointed out, “global warming, given its harmful consequences to the environment and the economy, is a joint concern for which a regional approach to strategic action is required.”1 The Plan set the following goals:
• Reduce regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2010.
• Reduce regional GHG emissions by at least 10% below 1990 levels by 2020.
• Reduce regional GHG emissions by 75- 85% in the long-term.
To achieve the short, medium and long-term goals of the Climate Change Action Plan the Governors and Premiers developed nine (9) “Action Items” to guide the actions and policies of the states and provinces in meeting those objectives. The Plan also sets the goal of establishing an “interactive five-year process, commencing in 2005, to adjust the goals if necessary and set future emissions reduction goals.”
As it is now 2005, and we are nearly halfway to the first goal set forth in the Plan, this year’s Report Card findings should be particularly helpful as the region’s Governors and Premiers work to assess their ability to achieve the goals to which they committed the region 4 years ago. The consensus in the global scientific, business and political communities that climate change is having, and will continue to have, devastating impacts on the planet has become even stronger in the past year. Therefore, the commitment to not only meet, but to surpass, the goals set in the 2001 Plan should grow stronger as well.
Key Findings
As this Report Card will highlight, there exists a wide range of variation among the states and provinces as to their activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region. Jurisdictions that are strong in some areas are weak in others. The following are the general themes that were observed in this year’s assessment process:
Areas That Need Improvement
I. States and Provinces Need to Start Achieving Reductions from the Largest Pollution Sources
In order to achieve the emissions goals set forth in the Plan, states and provinces need to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the largest sources in their respective jurisdictions. Although variations exist between the various states and provinces, greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector and power generation sector represent the largest contributors to climate change in the region. For the regional goals to be met, real emissions reductions from these sectors need to start happening soon.
A. Transportation Sector (Action Item 8)
Reducing emissions from the transportation sector continues to be one of the most challenging, yet most important areas for governments to address. It is also, unfortunately, an area in which little progress has been made in the region. In several states and provinces, the transportation sector still represents the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
As was recommended last year, for states and provinces to significantly reduce emissions from the transportation sector there are two policy paths that must be addressed as part of a comprehensive plan. Governments need to explore policy options that will increase the percentage of fuel-efficient and low emission vehicles in use. Policy options to achieve this include adopting low emission vehicle standards, similar to the California Clean Cars Standard, and the adoption of tax incentives to encourage the purchase of the most fuel-efficient vehicles.
Several states and provinces have either enacted regulations or passed legislation to increase the number of fuel-efficient automobiles on the road. However, of equal importance to what we drive is how much we drive. States and provinces need to develop broad and forward-thinking plans to reduce the number of vehicle miles traveled (or VMTs.) This can be accomplished through the improvement and expansion of public transportation systems, as well as through comprehensive regional planning to reduce “urban sprawl,” and through incentives to reduce driving, such as insurance rates tied to the number of miles driven. States and provinces need to look closely at transportation patterns, especially in larger cities, and find ways to make improvements to the transportation infrastructure that give people the option to drive less.
B. Power Sector (Action Item 5)
Action Item 5 in the regional Plan sets a goal of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per megawatt hour of electricity in the region 20% by 2025. Although promising policies to address this sector currently are being developed, much more can - and should - be done. Given the lack of progress in reducing growth of transportation sector emissions, the percentage reductions from the power sector will need to be larger than the overall percentage targets in order for the region to meet the short-term and midterm GHG emissions goals in the Plan. Governments should recognize that some of the most cost-effective emissions reductions that can be made are in the power sector.
To achieve this goal, governments should work to improve the region’s electricity fuel mix to include a much greater percentage of clean renewable energy sources as well as switch to lower carbon fuels that do not have other attendant health risks.
In New England, the Governors should press for a model Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) rule that achieves emissions reductions that are – at the very least – consistent with the goals of the regional Plan, and that improves energy efficiency in the region.
States and provinces should view energy efficiency and conservation – and policies to reduce electricity demand – as the foundation of any sound energy policy.
II. States and Provinces Need to Better Promote Public Awareness of Climate Change (Action Item 3)
The NEG/ECP Climate Change Action Plan set a goal that “by 2005, the public in the region will be aware of the problems and the impacts of climate change and what actions they can take at home and at work to reduce the release of greenhouse gases.”2 We do not feel that this goal has been achieved.
Recognizing that an adequate public understanding of the impacts of climate change is essential in building the political support for strong policy solutions, state and provincial governments should begin promoting public awareness immediately. Governments should develop comprehensive and coordinated education and outreach programs for schools, parks, government employees, industries, major energy users and the media to communicate why climate change is important to the public. States and provinces should also develop systems to measure the effectiveness of their public education efforts. Finally, individual Governors and Premiers can contribute significantly to improving public awareness of climate change by making it a priority issue when speaking to the public.
III. Governors and Premiers Need to Be the Driving Force Behind Strong Climate Policy
In assessing the region’s progress during this year’s Report Card process, it was found that many of the policy successes have occurred without the leadership of individual Governors and Premiers. Several policy successes, for example, occurred via legislative vehicles for which the Governor failed to openly express his or her support. In many cases, a lot of the good work being accomplished at the state or provincial level is occurring while the Governor or Premier is largely silent on the issue of climate change. In some cases, Governors and Premiers have actually taken public positions on particular issues that are contradictory to the regional emission reduction goals. Although many individuals in the respective state and provincial environmental and energy agencies are committed to making progress in the effort to reduce GHG emissions, much of this good work is happening absent strong leadership from the Governors and Premiers.
IV. Governments Need to Involve the Environmental Community as Stakeholders
The 2010 deadline for meeting the short-term emissions reduction goal is fast approaching, and significant progress still needs to be made in reducing emissions from the largest sectors. Therefore, the time is right for the NEG/ECP to begin working more collaboratively with various non-governmental organizations in mapping the way forward regionally and within individual jurisdictions. There has been very little opportunity for the environmental community to formally participate as stakeholders in the implementation process, and such collaboration should be formalized so that information and “best practices” can be shared openly and constructively.
Conclusions
Although some progress has occurred in the region we are still not yet on a trajectory to meet the short-term goals in the Plan. As the Governors and Premiers reassess our progress towards meeting the Plan’s goals, particular attention needs to be paid to the largest emitting sectors – transportation and electricity generation. It should be clear that the region’s climate change goals will not be achieved through the construction of a wind turbine here and there, or through the state or provincial purchase of energy efficient copiers. These measures alone, although a significant first step – especially in setting a good example – will not enable us to achieve our overall goals. As the Governors and Premiers use 2005 to assess their progress they should see this time as an opportunity to move towards enacting the “next level” of climate policies: those that will significantly reduce emissions from the largest sources.
The Governors of the New England states, in particular, have an opportunity to make significant progress in reducing power sector carbon dioxide emissions by releasing a model RGGI rule this fall that calls for a 25% reduction in emissions by 2020. Such a target would be consistent with the goals that have been set forth in the regional Climate Change Action Plan.
As was recommended last year, the Governors and Premiers should set a goal of reaching the 75-85% reduction target by the year 2050. To achieve this, it is also necessary to set interim goals between 2020 and 2050 to ensure that necessary action takes place along the way. These goals can be met, but strong and visionary leadership from the region’s Governors and Premiers will be required.
1 New England Governors / Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan 2001. August 2001, page 1.
2 New England Governors / Eastern Canadian Premiers Climate Change Action Plan 2001. August 2001, page 10.
|
