"Our report outlines six
feasible strategies that,
if implemented, would
put the U.S. on the road
toward achieving the
global warming pollution
reductions that climate
scientists are calling for..."
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Over the course of the past year, a
number of events have combined
to catapult the global warming issue
to the front page of newspapers and
even into the stump speeches of
campaigning politicians.
Severe weather events like Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, along with the
continuing rise in global temperatures,
have resulted in most Americans
accepting the fact that global warming
is happening--and concerned citizens
are now looking for solutions to the
most profound environmental threat
of our time.
The United States produced nearly
one-quarter of the world's emissions
of carbon dioxide--the primary global
warming pollutant--in 2003. Because
the United States is far and away the
world's largest producer of global
warming pollution, it is critical that
our nation take the lead in addressing
this problem.
In order to avoid the worst consequences
of global warming, scientists estimate
that the world will need to reduce
emissions of global warming pollution
by more than half by 2050. Hitting
this reduction target will not be easy,
but thankfully the technologies and
policies currently exist that can make
it happen.
To help policymakers in Harrisburg
and Washington, D.C., meet the
global warming challenge, the
PennEnvironment Research and
Policy Center wrote and released a
new report in August, entitled "Rising
to the Challenge: Six Steps to Cut
Global Warming Pollution in the
United States." Our report outlines six
feasible strategies that, if implemented,
would put the U.S. on the road toward
achieving the global warming pollution
reductions that climate scientists
are calling for, while also improving
America's environment and energy
security.
The first strategy is to increase gas
mileage standards to 40 miles per
gallon for cars and light trucks, and
to set gas mileage standards for large
trucks. Incredibly, the fuel effciency
of today's new vehicles is lower than
it was during the 1980s.
Yet recent studies show that the
technology exists to increase the fuel
efficiency of new vehicles to 40 miles per
gallon in the next decade-drastically
reducing oil consumption while saving
consumers money at the gas pump.
Similarly, major improvements in fuel
efficiency are possible for heavy-duty
trucks, which are currently exempt
from fuel efficiency standards.
The second strategy is to replace 10
percent of vehicle fuel with biofuels
or other clean alternatives. Ethanol
and biodiesel that are produced cleanly
and sustainably, along with vehicle
technologies like plug-in hybrids and
fuel cell vehicles, could significantly
reduce global warming pollution from
the transportation sector. Biofuels could also provide a significant
economic boost to Pennsylvania's
farmers.
The third strategy is to reduce energy
consumption in homes, businesses
and industries by 10 percent from
current levels. Through such policies
as weatherizing buildings and
increasing energy-efficiency standards
for appliances, we have the potential
to reduce electricity consumption by
as much as 20 percent.
The fourth strategy is to obtain 20
percent of the country's electricity
from new renewable energy sources. As
we have seen with the increase in wind
energy production in Pennsylvania, the
country has virtually limitless potential
for power generation from natural
forces. By replacing power production
at dirty, coal-fired power plants with
new energy from wind power, solar
power, geothermal and biomass energy,
the United States could dramatically
reduce global warming pollution from
the electricity sector.
The fifth strategy outlined in the
report is to stabilize vehicle traffic.
Americans drive nearly twice as many
miles per year as they did 25 years
ago, but changes in public policy
and development patterns could
reduce this growth in vehicle traffic by
giving Americans more transportation
choices. Specific policies include
encouraging the development of
more compact neighborhoods, and
expanding and improving public mass
transit systems.
The final strategy is to hold emissions
from other sources to current levels.
While the five previous strategies
would address the largest sources of
global warming pollution in the United
States, there are other sources--such
as emissions from air travel--that
are projected to increase significantly
in the years ahead. Through such
policies as mandatory limits on global
warming emissions, the country must
remain vigilant about stabilizing and
eventually reducing global warming
pollution from all sectors of the
economy.
These six strategies would enable
the U.S. to reduce its global warming
pollution by 19 percent below 2004 levels
by 2020. This fall, PennEnvironment
will be working to build support for
these strategies in Harrisburg and
with Pennsylvania's congressional
delegation in Washington, D.C.
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