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Global warming is the most profound environmental problem that must be confronted over the next several decades. Global warming will have significant impacts on Rhode Island’s environment, and unless action is taken to stop global warming, Rhode Islanders can expect the health of Narragansett Bay to be degraded,
coastal flooding to increase, and summer smog to become more severe.
Environment Rhode Island has championed
numerous local, state and federal initiatives to reduce global warming pollution.
At the state level, Environment Rhode Island’s research shows that emissions
of global warming pollution will likely remain level over the next fifteen years primarily because the state has adopted tough auto-pollution standards, a state-wide renewable energy mandate and various energy efficiency measures. However, to stop global warming, current emissions levels must decline by at least 75 percent.
While drastic cuts in global warming emissions are not likely to happen overnight,
there are more incremental steps that Rhode Island must take to start cutting
emissions from current levels.
New opportunities
For example, our state should join eight other Northeastern states in the groundbreaking
regional market-based pact to cap and reduce global warming pollution from power plants. Massachusetts and Rhode Island are the only two New England
states that have not joined the pact, although Massachusetts will likely join in the near future because newly-elected Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has publicly and repeatedly pledged that he will join the pact.
Power plants are the second largest source of global warming pollution in Rhode Island, and it will be impossible to significantly reduce Rhode Island’s contributions to global warming without reducing emissions from power plants. In addition, because the federal government has yet to implement any national plan to cap and reduce global warming pollution it is critical that states like Rhode Island start acting now.
Advocacy for a healthier Rhode Island
Over the course of the 2007 General Assembly session, Environment Rhode Island and our allies will be spending a significant amount of time highlighting the benefits of reducing power plant pollution and building support for this legislation by lobbying legislators and Gov. Carcieri at the Statehouse.
“With every other New England state now expected to join this regional agreement,
Rhode Island can’t afford to miss out on the tremendous benefit this opportunity
presents,” said Environment Rhode Island Advocate Matt Auten, “Reducing our global warming pollution is one of the best investments we can make in the health and safety of Rhode Island.” |
