Michigan ‘ahead of the pack’ on international climate deal - MLive.com

Michigan ‘ahead of the pack’ on international climate deal - mlive.com

Michigan is among the few places worldwide with the goal to get off fossil fuels written into law before the recent and unprecedented international deal.

For the first time, negotiators at United Nations COP28 climate talks agreed the world must transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels.

Climate experts argue Michigan with its recent clean energy legislation is already ahead of most of the international community for this type of goal setting. They say the big question is how quickly the state will act to halt the warming climate.

“We are ahead of the pack that is way behind the actual target,” said Denise Keele, executive director of nonprofit Michigan Climate Action Network.

“Like winning a race that started 40 years ago and we just started running.”

Keele’s voice joined others in the days since the international agreement in Dubai who have criticized the measure as failing to call for an outright phasing out of oil, gas, and coal.

“This is COP28. Think about that. That means this is 28 years for them to at the international level even say out loud that we should phase out fossil fuels,” she said.

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Countries at the international climate meeting in Dubai were split between those wanting strong language on a phase-out of fossil fuels and others who wanted a way to continue burning oil, gas, and coal.

Keele argued it’s a quandary reflected here in Michigan, even in recent clean energy legislation.

“Even though Michigan has 100% clean energy by 2040, it gets the timeline right – gets that date right of 2040 – but clean energy still includes fossil fuels. And that’s just unacceptable to us and how we meet that overall goal,” Keele said.

In fact, the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition condemned the state’s new clean energy laws as not going far enough to fight the climate crisis.

The group argues greenhouse gas emissions won’t be adequately reduced and what they classify as “dirty energy sources” will be allowed to continue. That includes fracked gas, carbon capture and storage, factory farm and landfill gas, waste incineration, and nuclear energy, which come with environmental justice concerns.

In addition to the COP28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels, the international deal also calls for tripling the amount of renewable energy, doubling energy efficiency, and cutting methane emissions.

Related: Michigan first state in Midwest to set power storage benchmark

The overarching goal is to figure out a way for the world to stay in line with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times – the goal set in the 2015 Paris accord.

So far, the world has warmed 1.2 degrees since the mid-1800s. Scientists say this year is all but certain to be the hottest on record.

University of Michigan Professor Jeremy Bassis said the outcome of COP28 – after weeks of discussions – veered from disappointing to promising, but the international focus has always been misplaced.

“Most of the climate action has been taking place at local and regional scales, and that is accelerating,” he said.

“Many cities and states already have carbon neutrality by 2050 goals, with steep cuts in emissions proposed by 2030. The action for the next couple of years is going to be in making those plans more than aspirational.”

Michigan is among those states.

Related: Should Michigan ban food waste in landfills?

Lawmakers this year put the state on track for a carbon-neutral economy by 2040 and gave state utility regulators authority to approve large-scale renewable energy projects. Those measures recently signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer were designed to hasten the state’s transition off fossil fuels for energy generation.

“Everyone has a role to play when it comes to protecting our planet, and Michigan’s clean energy future is bright. Last month, Governor Whitmer signed historic clean energy legislation making Michigan a national leader in the fight against climate change,” said Stacey LaRouche, the governor’s press secretary.

She argued the new laws will help lower household utility costs by an average of $145 a year, create thousands of good-paying jobs with strong labor standards, and bring nearly $8 billion of federal tax money to Michigan for clean energy projects.

“Together, we are fighting for our air, land, and water, improving public health and growing our economy for future generations here in Michigan,” LaRouche said.

Michigan’s healthy climate plan includes other elements of the COP28 agreement: transition off fossil fuels, making renewable energy at least 60% of the state’s energy portfolio, widespread energy efficiency improvements, and reducing food waste by half to drop methane emissions from landfills.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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