Climate watch: Four steps toward meeting our 2030 Paris climate goals

What will it take for the United States to meet its 2030 Paris commitment of 50% fewer carbon pollution emissions compared to 2005 levels?

Analysts at Citizens’ Climate Lobby point to four things: 1. a price on carbon, 2. healthy forests, 3. building electrification and efficiency, and 4. clean energy permitting reform.

Pricing Carbon

Leading economists have long known that putting a fee on carbon pollution at the source — the coal mine, the oil refinery, the gas well — is the single-most effective tool we have to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. CCL advocates that the money raised from such a fee be returned directly to American households. Pricing carbon reflects the true medical and environmental costs of fossil fuel energy. At present the fossil fuel industries pass all the costs of these “externalities” onto the general public. Call it what it is: a system of “socialized soot.”

Healthy Forests

America’s trees are hard at work. They pull the equivalent of 12% of the nation’s carbon pollution out of the air each year, according to CCL analysts. But by protecting, expanding and managing our forests in climate-smart ways, some researchers indicate that we could boost that number to 22% by 2030. Planting new forests wherever feasible makes sense. Young forests draw carbon out of the air at a very high rate. Managing older forests is important too. Climate change has made them susceptible to drought, fires and pests. Healthy forest management does not mean a ban on cutting. Trees can be sustainably harvested to keep carbon locked up in wood products. In fact, buildings made with wood release up to 30% fewer carbon emissions during construction that those made with steel, plastic or concrete, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Electrification

Nearly three-quarters of our nation’s buildings use fossil fuels to heat space or water or to cook food, says the Rocky Mountain Institute, creating 10% of our carbon pollution. Electrifying buildings will reduce carbon pollution right away, almost everywhere, according to a study in Science Direct. We need not wait for 100% clean energy to benefit. As energy gets cleaner, of course, carbon pollution from electrified buildings will continue to fall. Then there’s the money factor. Rewiring America points out that the average household can save $600 annually by installing heat pumps and induction stoves. Congress last year passed a bill awarding significant price rebates for home weatherization and electrification. More electric-powered cars and trucks and the development of better batteries also will help immensely.

Permitting Reform

New clean energy projects require construction of long-distance transmission lines. But it takes an average of 4.5 years for federal agencies to complete environmental impact statements for major energy projects. That is too long. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 put in motion many excellent clean energy initiatives. But a Princeton University report estimates that, without permitting reform, only about 20% of the Act’s capability can be achieved. It is up to Congress to pass permitting reform.

The Upshot

The tools to reach our Paris goals are available. Their use is mostly a question of political will. Urge your member of the House of Representatives and your U.S. Senators to support healthy forests, electrification, permitting reform and a price on carbon.