Greenhouse Gas Emissions

In one of the most ambitious governmental actions yet taken on global warming, Gov. Corzine yesterday signed an executive order calling for his state to dramatically cut its greenhouse-gas emissions. Under the order, New Jersey would cut its emissions to 1990 levels - a reduction of 20 percent - by 2020. It calls for a total 80 percent reduction by 2050. "Today we have taken steps to preserve our planet for our children and grandchildren by adopting aggressive goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," Corzine said in a press release.

The U.S. Supreme Court's groundbreaking decision that regulation of so-called greenhouse gases appears to fall under the Clean Air Act is expected to have far-reaching consequences. But for New Jersey and Pennsylvania, experts said yesterday, the biggest impact of Monday's ruling is likely to be what they won't experience - legal challenges to their programs to mandate cleaner-burning cars. Both states have enacted rules based on California legislation that regulates carbon-dioxide emissions from passenger cars and light trucks.

A new global-warming treaty would be all economic pain and little environmental gain for America even if China and other fast-developing nations sign on. But if developing nations remain exempted, it would be all economic pain and no environmental gain. Either way, America should stay out! At the United Nations' Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen this week, proponents of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - which expires in 2012 - will try to hash out a new agreement for lowering carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions.

More than 50 U.S. companies are not waiting for White House action on global warming. They are following Europe's lead, and are cutting emissions, an issue that President Bush will hear a lot about when he meets with European leaders today. A growing number of American companies - including DuPont Co., of Wilmington, Del.; General Motors Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Eastman Kodak Co. - are pledging to cut or limit their emissions of greenhouse gases, which most scientists say cause global warming.

As part of the world's carbon footprint, Montgomery County doesn't even constitute as much as a toe. But the county wants to make an even smaller impression. So today, its commissioners are expected to take a rare step and adopt a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a variety of ways. No other county in Pennsylvania or South Jersey has done so. "It's really groundbreaking . . . and is a real model for what other counties or regional bodies can do," said Brian Hill, president of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, a statewide nonprofit advocacy group.

New Jersey is poised to take on global warming with a plan that imposes some of the nation's strictest limits on greenhouse-gas emissions. Under legislation overwhelmingly approved last week by the Assembly and Senate, the state would cut its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent of last year's levels by 2050. The bill would set into law the recommendations Gov. Corzine made in February via executive order and now awaits his signature. The plan puts New Jersey at the forefront of a growing number of states imposing their own global-warming crackdowns while citing an absence of federal leadership.

Climate change is by nature a global problem. So when a Pennsylvania State University graduate student presented Montgomery County officials with a 145-page report on what it could do to reduce greenhouse gases - the culprits in global warming - Commissioner Thomas Jay Ellis was skeptical. Could one county - even one with more people than some states - make a difference in such a huge problem? Ellis and his fellow commissioners decided this month that it could at least try. Montgomery County, which emits more greenhouse gases than more than half the world's nations do individually, thereby joined a burgeoning list of cities, counties and states that have stopped waiting for federal direction on global-warming remediation.

The Center City steam loop, source of the Dickensian sidewalk vapor clouds that have warmed the soles of generations of pedestrians, does not normally evoke images of a modern energy system. But in the last two years, the system's owner, Veolia Energy, has quietly upgraded its century-old power plant in Grays Ferry to reposition the nation's third-largest district heating system as an environmentally friendly energy source. Veolia is calling it "green steam. " On Monday, Mayor Nutter and Robert F. Powelson, chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC)

Monday's "GreenSpace" column gave incorrect equivalents in English measure for a new report about eating and climate change. The report ranked foods according to greenhouse-gas emissions per kilogram of food - which is equal to 2.2 pounds. The Inquirer wants its news report to be fair and correct in every respect, and regrets when it is not. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, contact assistant managing editor David Sullivan (215-854-2357) at The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101, or e-mail dsullivan@phillynews.com .

The U.S.-European rift on global warming extends to the world's three dominant oil companies. BP Amoco P.L.C. and Royal Dutch/Shell Group, which are based in Europe, have joined the campaign to reduce global warming. Exxon Mobil Corp., which has its headquarters in Irving, Texas, remains outside the campaign, arguing in newspaper advertisements and speeches for a more cautious approach. President Bush will argue for the approach that Exxon Mobil prefers when he meets with European leaders today in Sweden.

BILLINGS, Mont. - The tenacious wolverine, a snow-loving carnivore sometimes called the "mountain devil," could soon join the list of species threatened by climate change - a dubious distinction putting it in the ranks of the polar bear and several other animals the government says will lose crucial habitat as temperatures rise. Federal wildlife officials Friday proposed Endangered Species Act protections for the wolverine in the Lower 48 states. That's a step twice denied under the Bush administration, then delayed in 2010 when the Obama administration said other imperiled species had priority.

The Center City steam loop, source of the Dickensian sidewalk vapor clouds that have warmed the soles of generations of pedestrians, does not normally evoke images of a modern energy system. But in the last two years, the system's owner, Veolia Energy, has quietly upgraded its century-old power plant in Grays Ferry to reposition the nation's third-largest district heating system as an environmentally friendly energy source. Veolia is calling it "green steam. " On Monday, Mayor Nutter and Robert F. Powelson, chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC)

DOHA, Qatar - The United States defended its track record on fighting climate change on Monday at U.N. talks, saying it was making "enormous" efforts to slow global warming and help the poor nations most affected by it. Other countries have accused Washington of hampering the climate talks ever since the Bush administration abandoned the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 treaty limiting emissions of heat-trapping gases by industrialized countries. As negotiators met for a two-week session in oil- and gas-rich Qatar, U.S. delegate Jonathan Pershing suggested America deserves more credit.

CROSSING the Poquessing Creek into Bucks County is like stepping into a political time machine. As voters across the country throw out established politicians for more extreme options, Bucks residents seem increasingly proud of their centrism, ticket-splitting and resistance to ideological movements. The post-industrial boroughs in lower Bucks are Democratic turf, but they can stomach Republicans who are soft on labor. The rural villages of upper Bucks are generally conservative, but many went for Barack Obama in 2008.

FUNNY THING about the lists of "helpful planet-saving tips" that show up as Earth Day (Sunday) approaches: They rarely include, much less spotlight, the daily action that could have the most impact: cutting down your meat and dairy consumption. The United Nations has repeatedly stated that we must drastically change our eating patterns, given that somewhere from 18 percent (if you credit the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization 2006 estimate) to 51 percent (Worldwatch Institute's estimate, 2009)

Seven Pennsylvania coal-fired power plants are among the 100 highest industrial emitters of greenhouse gases in the United States, according to data released Wednesday by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Ranking 12th on the national list is FirstEnergy Generation Corp.'s Bruce Mansfield plant in Beaver County, the state's biggest. The other plants are Brunner Island, Conemaugh, Hatfield's Ferry, Homer City, Keystone, and Montour. No New Jersey plants made that top 100 list.

Monday's "GreenSpace" column gave incorrect equivalents in English measure for a new report about eating and climate change. The report ranked foods according to greenhouse-gas emissions per kilogram of food - which is equal to 2.2 pounds. The Inquirer wants its news report to be fair and correct in every respect, and regrets when it is not. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, contact assistant managing editor David Sullivan (215-854-2357) at The Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia 19101, or e-mail dsullivan@phillynews.com .

DURING THE middle innings of every Phillies telecast, there's a promotional item duly noting how environmentally friendly your local ballclub is. For example, from the team's official website, is a boast that the Phils use only certified printers that utilize soy-based ink and that one even operates on 50 percent wind energy. The front office has been uncharacteristically modest, however, about a more recent initiative. While we normally avoid writing about what goes on in the press box, on the grounds that nobody really gives a damn, we are happy to report that the team has significantly cut back on the amount of game notes and stats packages that are distributed before each home game.

World leaders are convening in Copenhagen to discuss climate change this week, and a Senate committee recently heard testimony from economists on how federal climate legislation might affect jobs and the economy. The stakes for Pennsylvania in this debate are high. Moving states with a history of heavy industry toward a new "green" economy is imperative. But reducing our dependence on fossil fuels is only one part of the story. Forest loss and degradation cause the release of the carbon stored in wood in the form of carbon dioxide.

A new global-warming treaty would be all economic pain and little environmental gain for America even if China and other fast-developing nations sign on. But if developing nations remain exempted, it would be all economic pain and no environmental gain. Either way, America should stay out! At the United Nations' Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen this week, proponents of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol - which expires in 2012 - will try to hash out a new agreement for lowering carbon dioxide and other greenhouse-gas emissions.