We can meet Paris goals

There has been a great deal of consternation over the president’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord. The US had agreed to a 26 percent to 28 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 2005 levels.

EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows that US total Greenhouse Gas emissions were 7,313 million metric tons in 2005; attaining the Paris goals would require reducing emissions to 5,411 metric tons. For 2015, total emissions are already 10 percent lower than the 2005 levels and other government data shows a further reduction in CO2 emissions in 2016.

Until 2025, the US would have to pick up the pace with an average annual reduction of 2 percent per year rather than the current level of about 1 percent per year. Greenhouse gas emissions did drop a lot during the 2008-2009 recession so a growing economy will make it harder. Still the targets don’t seem that impossible given the prospect of more renewable energy, electric cars, advanced building systems and smarter electrical devices and appliances.

To meet the Paris goals, America must cut coal usage by another 40 percent from 2016 levels and other energy uses by 12 percent to 15 percent over the next eight years. With some effort, we can cut our energy usage by this amount and encourage businesses and governments to do the same. Also, we can switch to non-coal renewable electricity at a reasonable additional cost. With commitment, innovation and hard work, I believe that we can meet the Paris greenhouse gas reduction goals while still growing our economy.

This story was originally published June 15, 2017 at 6:10 PM with the headline "We can meet Paris goals."