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Joint Conservation Committee Explores Greenhouse Gas Action Plans

The Environmental Issues Forum sponsored by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee this week heard from Thomas Peterson, a senior research associate at Penn State University on what states are doing to develop greenhouse gas action plans.

Peterson said carbon dioxide emissions are predicted to increase in the coming years and there is a concern that the temperature of the Earth will increase as well. Peterson suggested that the temperature of the Earth will increase 5°C by 2100. The temperature increase will have many effects, he said, including melting of the ice sheets and droughts throughout parts of the world.

Peterson said if each state in America were an independent country, they would make up 18 of the top 50 emitters of carbon dioxide. However, he noted, several states are taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

He told the committee about initiatives taking place in Pennsylvania, including: the passage of the Advanced Energy Portfolio Standard, Energy Harvest Grants, recycling programs, the Penn State University greenhouse gas inventory, city of Philadelphia climate change strategy and the presence of more LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings than any state.

Peterson said states have created individual plans to lower greenhouse gas emissions and then join together in regional agreements. He added that state plans create inventory, offer implementation mechanisms, create goals and include reporting and tracking to make sure goals are met. Peterson stated that technical specificity is necessary when creating a State plan, but "you need to keep alternative solutions in mind."

Public involvement is critical, Peterson told the Committee, when creating a State greenhouse gas emissions plan, and the process he said must be "transparent." He said states that have implemented plans have seen an average 2 percent reduction in emissions below the baseline forecast.

When asked how long it would take for Pennsylvania to implement a greenhouse gas reduction plan, Peterson replied that most states take about 12 months to create the plan. Peterson was also asked what drives the increased release of carbon dioxide, to which he said the combustion of fossil fuels and release from soil and trees.

The Committee will hold its next Environmental Issues Forum on June 13.


5/13/2005

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