(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont and Connecticut Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes are applauding the Earth Day announcement made today by President Biden of a new target for the United States to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution in 2030.
Setting a target is required under the international climate treaty known as the Paris Agreement, committing all signatory countries to reducing emissions with the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. President Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement on his first day in office.
Governor Lamont said, “Connecticut has long been a leader on addressing climate change. We adopted a 2030 target for greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 and I set a goal of a zero carbon energy supply by 2040 in Executive Order 3. We know that investing in clean energy, like offshore wind, is a job creator in Connecticut and represents a huge opportunity for our port communities. We also know that reducing emissions in the transportation sector by enacting the Transportation and Climate Initiative means we will have cleaner air in our communities most burdened by pollution. I applaud President Biden’s adoption of the 2030 target, and Connecticut will continue to implement strategies that make that target a reality.”
Commissioner Dykes said, “As we celebrate Earth Day this week, it is important to recognize how the Earth has changed because of the burning of fossil fuels. Connecticut is already seeing the impacts of climate change from increased flooding, to heat waves, to stronger storms, to drought. We know the significant cost of these impacts to our communities, especially those frontline communities who are feeling these effects first and worst. We cannot afford the impacts that would come with a two degree or higher warming world. The good news is addressing climate change is well within our grasp. In Connecticut we have shown that by 2025, 91 percent of our energy consumption will be covered by clean energy, making a 100% zero carbon energy supply by 2040 a target we can meet. While we decarbonize our energy supply, we are continuing to enact policies and programs that lower emissions in the transportation sector and in the built environment. Achieving our state’s economy-wide 2030 emissions reduction target, in support of the Biden administration’s national target, is the most cost effective, equitable, and just pathway forward for our state and nation.”