Nebraska introduces first-ever Priority Climate Action Plan to combat greenhouse gases - NTV
Nebraska introduces first-ever Priority Climate Action Plan to combat greenhouse gases
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska has welcomed its first climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gases.
According to the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE), they submitted a Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), March 1.
Funded by a $3 million Climate Pollution Reduction Grant, the program is part of an initiative to reduce greenhouse gases locally. NDEE has conducted outreach through in-person meetings and webinars to get input and feedback from Nebraskans and to ensure the PCAP reflects their needs.
“Nebraska’s Priority Climate Action Plan focuses on voluntary, incentive-based programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all economic sectors while promoting environmental stewardship and economic growth throughout the state, including low-income and disadvantaged communities,” NDEE Director Jim Macy said. “This paired with the fact that the state is building on already successful programs and innovations gives us a strong action plan.”
NDEE said that the GHG reduction measures included in the PCAP are:
Following the submission of the Priority Climate Action Plan, NDEE is now working on the state’s application for funds to implement greenhouse gas reduction measures. The submission dateline is April 1, 2024.
The PCAP is available on NDEE’s website: http://dee.ne.gov/ndeqprog.nsf/onweb/cprg.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”