Global Warming Solutions Testimony

Testimony of Frank Gorke

Director, Environment Massachusetts

Environment Committee Hearing on Several Bills Related to Global Warming

April 30, 2007

Senator Resor, Representative Smizik, and members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. Environment Massachusetts, the new home of MASSPIRG’s environmental work, is a non-profit, citizen-based organization dedicated to protecting our air, water and open space.

Problem

Thanks to the recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, it is clear that global warming is a human caused phenomenon that threatens the livelihood of populations around the world, and will have significant impacts right here in Massachusetts.  If left unchecked, global warming threatens irreversible damage. We will see rising sea levels in Massachusetts, potentially flooding and eroding coastal communities.  We will see more dangerous heat waves, threatening particularly elderly citizens; increased number and severity of extreme weather instances, and increased the spread of infectious disease in the Commonwealth.  The science is clear.  The threat is real, and the time to act to mitigate these effects is now. 

Solutions

            The solutions to achieve a safe climate future are at our fingertips, and we have already made some initial steps.  In 2001 the six New England governors, along with their peers in eastern Canada, took the first step toward reducing the region’s global warming emissions by adopting a Climate Action Plan.  This plan pledged to reduce regional global warming emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 and 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 with a long-term goal of 75 to 85 percent reductions in the future.  Thus far, Massachusetts, largely through the switch from coal to natural gas in the electricity sector, has been able to hold our global warming emissions relatively steady since 1990, while nationally, emissions have increased by 18 percent between 1990 and 2004.    

            This is a good starting point, but it is not the result of any carbon policy, and in fact, there are several significant warning signs that we need to be aware of. First, transportation sector emissions rose significantly over that time frame. And second, federal officials are projecting significant increases in global warming emissions going forward from today.

            So we must take action soon to ensure that Massachusetts is making the kind of deep reductions in global warming emissions that scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.  To address this, we need to put forth policy that will reduce global warming emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2050.  And because the fewer cuts in global warming emissions we make now, the more we are going to have to make in the future, we need to get on a path that will ensure short term reductions in global warming emissions to 20 percent by 2020. 

            Fortunately, solutions are available today to achieve these short term reductions in global warming emissions and get on a trajectory to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.  They include everything from changing light bulbs and increasing the efficiency of our cars to creating an economy-wide carbon cap.  Before launching into the specific policy handles that can help Massachusetts achieve a safe climate future, it is important to first outline the principles that we, members of the Massachusetts Climate Coalition, have adopted to tackle this considerable challenge.

Principles

            First of all, we have to set clear, specific, science-based emissions reduction goals that will enable us to avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Our analysis indicates that this means reducing greenhouse gas emissions in high-emitting states and nations to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2010, 20 percent by 2020, and 80 percent by 2050.  This timetable is necessary to keep atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide below 450 parts per million and avoid the most harmful impacts of global warming.  To this end, the state should establish a system of mandatory and comprehensive reporting of greenhouse gas emissions.  Each sector of the economy that emits greenhouse gas emissions, including transportation, industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential, should be responsible for at least its proportionate share of greenhouse gas reductions.  In order to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector, we need to implement strategies to level off and reduce demand for electricity with a target of quadrupling energy efficiency by 2010.  Also, we need to get more electricity from clean, renewable resources with a target of 20 percent by 2020.  This does not include the use of nuclear power or unproven coal technologies as they are unacceptable risks, given the proven, clean and safe technologies already available.  We should also implement long term plans for controlling sprawl, which is one of the primary reasons emissions continue to rise from transportation and buildings.  To cut emissions from the transportation sector, we should implement clean car incentives and better fund public transit as well as implement incentives for driving less.  Finally, the state should lead by example by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from state operations by 25 percent by 2012.          

Next Steps

            At the start of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers here in Boston filed more than a dozen bills relating to global warming. The same is true in Washington, D.C. After more than a decade of denials and delays, we are starting to get serious about tackling this problem. Unfortunately, we have not left ourselves much time. If we hope to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, we’re going to have to act soon. And, we’re going to have to get it right the first time.

            Emissions in Massachusetts and across the country are projected to rise significantly in coming years. That’s the exact opposite of the pollution reductions we need to avoid the strongest storms, the worst heat waves, and the most sea level rise. It’s likely, to adequately protect ourselves and our environment, that we will need to cut pollution levels by about 80% by the middle of this century. And, to get on that trajectory at any reasonable cost (and hopefully avoid any severe “tipping point” trigger), we’re going to have to start turning the emissions trend line down in the next several years.

            That means that Massachusetts will have to adopt a strong cap on global warming pollution, like the language in Senator Pacheco’s Global Warming Solutions Act and Senator O’Leary’s omnibus energy bill, and that we will have to also commit to the energy policy tools – significant expansions of energy efficiency, renewable fuels, and other tools – that will help us achieve those reductions.

            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 efficiency, renewable fuels—are already at our fingertips. 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.

            In addition, Environment Massachusetts is a strong supporter of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is an important policy to reduce global warming pollution from power plants. It is also a crucial tool that will aid the Commonwealth in hitting the broader and deeper pollution reduction goals that would be set by an economy-wide cap. As such, Environment Massachusetts is glad that Gov. Patrick has acted to rejoin the program, and is participating in the Department of Environmental Protection rulemaking process. We support protecting consumers by auctioning 100% of the pollution permits and putting the revenue into energy efficiency. We also support legislation that codifies in statute the goals and important details of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

            Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I look forward to working with you all to get Massachusetts on a safe climate trajectory.

Notes on the chart

This chart shows a “business as usual” (BAU) emissions trend in the black line. Historic emissions (1990 – 2004) are calculated from US. EIA fuel use data. The BAU projections into the future are calculated from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections of regional energy use from 2004 – 2030, adjusted proportionally for Massachusetts. The 2030 to 2050 estimates are based on extrapolating the emissions increase trend of 2020 – 2030 in the EIA projections. http://www.eia.doe.gov/

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) emissions line is based on the 2009 – 2018 state budget numbers in the RGGI Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It is assumed that the policy is unchanged after 2018 – in other words, that emissions from the electricity sector remain capped at the 2018 level. The red trend line rises in the out years because of rising emissions from other sectors. www.rggi.org

The “Tailpipe Limits” are based on analysis of the emissions reductions projected from adoption of the California limits on motor vehicle global warming emissions, which are currently being challenged in the courts by automakers. It is assumed that the policy is unchanged after 2016, which is the year by which automakers will be required to reduce global warming pollution from vehicles by approximately 30% from 2002 levels. http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/factsheets/cc_newfs.pdf