Local weather change disproportionately impacts our most susceptible communities. We’d like EPA to undertake the strongest potential limits on air pollution from energy vegetation with the intention to defend our area’s well being and environmental security.
Julian Harden | February 5, 2024
| Local weather Change, Power Effectivity, Georgia, Utilities
SACE strongly helps the EPA implementing the strongest potential tips and requirements to scale back carbon air pollution from energy vegetation and defend the environment and public well being.
EPA is Finalizing New Energy Plant Carbon Requirements
In Might of 2023, the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) proposed new requirements and tips to sort out carbon air pollution from fuel and coal energy vegetation. The requirements intention to chop 600 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2042. Now, EPA is working to finalize the principles by April 2024. These new carbon requirements are a essential step in the proper route: energy vegetation are certainly one of our nation’s most important sources of local weather air pollution, contributing to growing excessive climate occasions and endangering public well being, particularly right here within the Southeast, and particularly amongst our most susceptible communities.
SACE strongly helps the EPA implementing the strongest potential tips and requirements to scale back carbon air pollution from energy vegetation, and in August 2023, we submitted feedback to EPA outlining our place.
Sturdy rules on carbon emissions from energy vegetation will help cut back air pollution and defend the environment and public well being. Sturdy requirements can even complement federal initiatives such because the Inflation Discount Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation (BIL) by serving to fight the local weather disaster on the nationwide degree and contributing to attaining the Biden administration’s targets of attaining 100% clear energy by 2035 and a net-zero emissions financial system by 2050.
The Southeast’s Climate Dilemma: Pushed by Energy Crops and Their Impression on Excessive Climate
Burning fossil fuels comparable to coal and fuel in energy vegetation releases poisonous air pollution and greenhouse gases; and these greenhouse gases in flip lure warmth like a blanket in our environment. The result’s hotter summers that engulf communities, particularly within the already-warm South, and trigger city warmth islands. Strategically lowering carbon emissions from fuel and coal energy vegetation may alleviate burdensome warmth whereas on the identical time bettering air high quality, resulting in more healthy communities.
Within the Southeast, communities are already grappling with the growing influence of maximum climate occasions, broadly attributed to local weather change: record-breaking heatwaves, hurricanes, and rainfall mark distressing traits, emphasizing the essential want for instant motion.
Current knowledge concluding that 2023 was the most well liked 12 months on file across the globe and that the previous ten years comprise the ten hottest years on file make the urgency for instant motion much more obvious. 2023 additionally had the most billion-dollar climate and local weather disasters in U.S. historical past.
Right here within the Atlanta space, we skilled the second-hottest 12 months in 2023, with a median temperature of two.3 levels above the 30-year norm. These alarming traits underscore the essential want for strong measures to handle the extreme impacts of carbon emissions from energy vegetation. These emissions are a recognized key contributor to the local weather disaster and the related excessive climate circumstances we’re more and more witnessing.
Disproportionate Impression on Weak Communities
The repercussions of local weather change and air pollution usually are not evenly distributed. Black, Brown, and low-income communities bear a disproportionate burden, and are sometimes located amid air pollution hotspots and particularly susceptible to climate-related disasters. The inequitable distribution of environmental impacts exacerbates current disparities, making it crucial to handle the broader environmental considerations and the particular vulnerabilities of marginalized teams. Recognizing and rectifying these disparities is essential to constructing a extra simply and resilient future for all.
Be part of Us – Stand Up for Sturdy Requirements!
We at SACE are encouraging Southeast residents to signal onto the petition to President Biden to go massive with the forthcoming remaining energy plant carbon guidelines. Our communities want the strongest potential requirements to assist cut back the toll that the warming local weather is taking up us. Will you please add your title?
Signal The Petition Right here
The acute climate of 2023 made it clear that there isn’t any time to delay on taking robust motion to scale back dangerous energy plant air pollution. We’d like President Biden and his administration to behave with resolve and assist our communities transfer past the worst threats of the local weather disaster.
Be part of us in constructing a sustainable and resilient Southeast – our actions as we speak form the longer term for generations.
