| August 16, 2006 |  |
Northeast States Take Landmark Step in Fighting Global Warming
Scientists hail regional leadership in curbing carbon emissions
CAMBRIDGE, MA-The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today hailed the significant step seven Northeast states have taken to slow global warming by issuing draft regulations to cap carbon dioxide emissions. The proposed rule by the states is the latest measure in the effort to implement mandatory emissions limits.
"Global warming puts at great risk the health of our children and grandchildren," said Dr. Peter Frumhoff, director of the Global Environment Program at UCS. "With these proposed regulations, leaders in the Northeast are starting us down a path to cost-effectively addressing this important problem."
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a collaboration of seven Northeast states to reduce emissions in a region that accounts for six percent of the world's global warming emissions. RGGI aims to reduce electric power plants' emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the principal heat-trapping gas that causes global warming. The long-awaited "model rule" provides the specific language outlining the policy measures included in the program. Each state must implement the program separately, through new legislation or a regulatory proceeding. Power plants will be able to trade emissions allowances, so that the necessary reductions are achieved at the lowest possible cost. Since 1990, a cap-and-trade system in the Northeast has been successfully reducing acid rain.
"We all must work to ensure that the RGGI regulations accomplish what they're intended to: significantly reduce emissions to slow global warming and avoid the worst impacts of a warming planet," said Frumhoff. "Now that the rule moves to the states, consistency across the region will be key to ensuring the integrity of the effort and achieving the emissions reduction goal."
Next month, a group of the region's leading scientists will release new findings that show how continued high emissions will fundamentally reshape the Northeast climate over the next century. "The emission choices we make over the next few years will powerfully influence the climate inherited by future generations," said Frumhoff. "RGGI has great potential to be a precedent-setting tool for moving us onto a low-emissions pathway."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
