With air pollution on the rise, state environmental officials are concerned that Connecticut will miss the state’s 2030 emissions-reduction goal if residents are unable to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The latest “climate report card” issued by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) shows emissions increased in 2021 and 2022 after dropping at the height of the COVID pandemic.
“We need to step up the pace,” says DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “We need to accelerate the rate of reductions of greenhouse gas emissions if we are going to meet the goals that the legislature has established in the Global Warming Solutions Act to achieve a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (since 2001) by 2030.”
The state legislature's goal is intended to help slow the advancement of global climate change. To get there, according to DEEP, Connecticut must reduce the release of carbon dioxide by an average 1.1 million metric tons every year through 2030.
Dykes says Connecticut residents can contribute to the targeted emissions cut in a number of ways, including:
--considering the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV); details on available incentives can be found at energizect.com
--biking or walking, or using public transportation
--getting a home energy audit to estimate the efficiency of your heating system and insulation, and making recommended improvements as a result