March 27
New England states are not on track to meet targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that governors announced seven years ago, according to a report prepared by environmental groups.
The governors in 2001 announced a commitment to reduce the regionīs emissions of greenhouse gases to 1990 levels by 2010 and to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020.
However, greenhouse gas emissions, measured as carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, increased by 8 million metric tons between 2001 and 2005, according to a report prepared for the New England Climate Coalition, which includes more than a dozen environmental, health care and other groups. The report only looks at emissions through 2005 because that is the last year for which full data from the federal government about fuel use, agriculture and waste disposal was available, according to the reportīs sponsors.
However, the reportīs authors also found what they described as good news -- New Englandīs global warming pollution declined slightly, by about 0.3 percent, between 2004 and 2005. It was the first year-to-year decrease since 2001.
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