Pennsylvania Unveils Plan to Fight Climate Change
Plan points to environmental impacts, economic opportunities of reducing emissions by 2025, 2050.
Gov. Tom Wolf (D-PA) has unveiled a new Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan, intended to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change.
The Action Plan states "Pennsylvania shall strive to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent by 2025 from 2005 levels, and 80 percent by 2050 from 2005 levels."
Steps proposed include phasing out coal-fired plants in the state by 2050, and shifting to more energy-efficient buildings, transitioning to electric vehicles and developing better wind and solar power capabilities.
In addition to reducing emissions and adapting to the changing climate, the report also estimates that adopting these strategies could create an additional 40,000 jobs in the state by 2050 (6,500 jobs by 2025) and increase the gross state product and personal disposable impact.
The decision is significant because no other state in the bipartisan climate alliance produces as much coal or natural gas as Pennsylvania.
According to Pennsylvania's Action Plan, if other states and nations commit to similar goals in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, scientists believe "global temperature rise could be kept below the 2-degree Celsius threshold cited by experts as the level beyond which dire consequences would occur, including sea level rise, superstorms, and crippling heat waves."