Earlier this month, the State of Connecticut released the 2018 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory Report. The data through 2018 is the most recent and up to date information available.
The report shows that Connecticut is not on track to meet the greenhouse gas emission goals set by the legislature. Transportation emissions are the primary challenge as they were actually higher through 2018 than in 1990. Under state law, economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions are supposed to be 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, 45% below 2001 levels by 2030 and 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. Transportation makes up 37.4% of Connecticut’s Greenhouse Gas emissions.
Many experts and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection(DEEP) officials support Connecticut’s implementation of the Transportation and Climate Initiative, or TCI – a multi-state program designed to lower transportation emissions through different means, from electric vehicle use to more widespread mass transit and even better broadband access to incentivize telecommuting. The money for such programs would come through a cap-and-invest system that would likely include a slight increase in gasoline prices. TCI is meant to be an emissions reduction tool and the report shows that similar programs have been successful.
