Comments Off on U.S. Power Sector Halfway to Zero CO2 Emissions
BERKELEY, California, April 20, 2021 (ENS) – Climate change concerns are driving a growing number of states, utilities, and corporations to set the goal of zeroing out heat-trapping carbon emissions from the power sector.
To date, 17 states plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico have adopted laws or executive orders to achieve 100 percent carbon-free electricity in the next two to three decades. Additionally, 46 U.S. utilities have pledged to go carbon-free no later than 2050. Together, these goals cover about half of the U.S. population and economy.
These are ambitious targets, but a new look at the past 15 years in the electricity sector shows that large reductions in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are possible. The most prevalent greenhouse gas, CO2 is emitted into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas, among other sources.