|
As Maryland takes steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, the Department of the Environment projections show emissions would increase by nearly a quarter in that same time span if no reduction programs were put into place.
The projection shows that Maryland citizens and businesses would cause the emission of more than 140 million metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2020, an increase of nearly 30 million metric tons of emissions over the 2006 “baseline” estimate. Under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act of 2009 Maryland committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 (compared to 2006 levels) and to forming a plan to reduce those emissions by up to 90 percent by 2050.
MDE is preparing a draft Climate Action Plan for Maryland. The Department will kick off its stakeholder process for the plan in the fall.
To measure progress toward the 25 percent reduction goal, MDE is required to develop an inventory of statewide greenhouse gas emissions for calendar year 2006, as well as a “business-as-usual” inventory for 2020. That inventory is designed to show the emissions trend without programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
With no federally established templates, developing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory was an innovative project for MDE’s Air and Radiation Management Administration. ARMA's Planning Program created a report that the Department will continue to reference and update throughout its greenhouse gas mitigation efforts.
The inventory is divided into seven major sectors that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions in Maryland, and lays out the data on Maryland's three major sources of emissions: electricity generation; transportation; and residential, commercial, and industrial fossil fuel combustion. Estimates of carbon “sinks” – areas that store carbon – within the State's forests, including urban forests and land use changes, are also included.
According to the inventory, electricity consumption is the largest source of emissions in the baseline inventory, and remains so in the business-as-usual scenario.
With more than 3,000 miles of coastline, Maryland is the third most vulnerable state in the nation to the rising sea levels and erratic weather patterns associated with climate change. In 2007, Governor Martin O’Malley signed an Executive Order that established the Maryland Commission on Climate Change. Maryland’s Clean Cars program, and its commitment to regional initiatives such as the Low-Carbon Fuel Standard and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first multi-state cap-and-trade emissions program, will help us reach the goals of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act.
|
