Rhode Island needs to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it releases into
the atmosphere, and two state agencies have presented six policies for the state
to adopt.
More hybrid-electric cars, adopting California’s emission limits, a pay-as-you-drive automobile insurance program, more renewable energy use, adopting efficiency standards for residential and commercial products and reducing energy use are the policies listed in the report, “Rhode Island Responds to Global Warming.”
The R.I. Public Interest Research Group and Rhode Island office of Clean Water Action released the report earlier this month. It serves as a follow-up to the report card that the groups sent out in June; Rhode Island received a C-. In 2001, the governors of the six New England states signed an agreement to reduce the region’s contribution to global warming. The response report is meant to encourage the state to continue its efforts, said Emily Rochon, Clean Water Action’s climate campaign organizer.
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“Global warming is a problem, and we’re a coastal state, so the predicted rise in sea level as much as (30) inches” is a concern, said Rochon. “It threatens our ecosystem, our coastal towns, and our tourism and economy.”
According to the report, the average temperature in Rhode Island has increased about 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, and the average surface water temperature in Narragansett Bay has risen 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1950. Average temperatures in the state are predicted to increase 1 F to 10 F during the next century, in turn causing a rise in sea level.
The clean cars requirement will put more electric-hybrid vehicles on the road, and Gov. Don Carcieri has supported adoption of California’s tougher emissions standards for these vehicles, she said. The pay-as-you-drive insurance policy, which would determine rates based on travel mileage, has already received support from the R.I. Greenhouse Gas Stakeholders, a group of state organizations and government agencies assigned to evaluate the issue.
Implementing a strong renewable energy portfolio standard, as well as adopting appliance efficiency standards should be fairly easy, Rochon said. In June, the Legislature and governor signed a bill to adopt a portfolio standard for the state.
