Capping Global Warming Pollution

What's New

The Senate passed landmark global warming legislation that will reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the Commonwealth by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Read the release.

How You Can Help

Sign our petition to cap global warming pollution.

Brief Summary 

Global warming: It’s time to act

More and more people in New England are concerned about what global warming will mean for our coastline, our seasons and the health and well-being of future generations. We can do something to solve global warming, and we owe it to our children to act now. The good news is that solutions—a cap on global warming pollution, energy effi ciency, renewable fuels—are at our fi ngertips. Every state should do its part to put these solutions in place, and show the leadership that will enable America to rise to the challenge and solve global warming. That’s why we’re asking for your help in getting Massachusetts to do its part, by capping the pollution that causes global warming.

Pollution projected to increase

Left unchecked, global warming pollution from cars, power plants, and other sources will change nearly everything about our region. Massachusetts has already taken some steps in the right direction. But our global warming pollution levels are still projected to rise in the coming years—the exact opposite of the reductions we need to see. To get on the right track, we need a cap on global warming pollution. We need state-wide pollution limits that ramp down over time, and we need to set the cap at levels that scientists say will enable us to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. That’s why Environment Massachusetts is working to get Gov. Deval Patrick and the state legislature to commit to reducing global warming pollution 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Solutions to cut pollution are available today

Adopting a cap on global warming pollution will send the message to polluters that they cannot continue their polluting ways. It will also get investors and engineers focused on deploying and developing solutions to our pollution problems. Many of these solutions—energy effi ciency, renewable fuels—are already at our fi ngertips. A strong cap on global warming will ensure that we put those solutions to work today so we can hit our short-term pollution reduction targets. And, a strong cap will also drive the innovation we need to hit our long-term pollution reduction goals. California has already adopted a state-wide cap on global warming pollution. Massachusetts ought to do the same, and be a national and international leader in solving global warming.