Opinion: A path for CT to achieve climate goals - CTPost
Opinion: A path for CT to achieve climate goals
Universal electric car charging stations at the southbound I-95 service plaza in Madison. Abigail Brone
Connecticut stands at a critical juncture in its fight against climate change. With the clock ticking and the urgency of the climate crisis growing, it is imperative that the state takes decisive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA) provides a beacon of hope, setting ambitious emission reduction goals. However, to turn these goals into tangible reality, Connecticut needs a robust decarbonization road map that lays out a clear path forward. The legislature needs to pass House Bill 6397 to make that happen — it is the decarbonization road map and the most important climate bill this Session.
The GWSA, enacted in 2008, commits Connecticut to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 45 percent below 2001 levels by 2030. It is an admirable goal, aligned with the urgency of the climate crisis. However, achieving such a substantial reduction requires a coordinated and comprehensive strategy, which is where the power of a decarbonization road map comes into play.
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Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”