For the first time in nearly a decade, Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions rose over a two year period, between 2012 and 2014, according to an analysis released this week by the Acadia Center.
The nonprofit research and advocacy organization, which promotes clean energy, said 2014 greenhouse gas emissions totaled 41.3 million metric tons, up 4.4 percent from 39.6 million metric tons in 2012.
It’s the first time the state has seen a two-year increase since 2003-2004, according to Acadia, which said the transportation sector was the large contributor to the recent increase.
Under Gov. Dannel Malloy, Connecticut has committed to reduce its emissions by 2050 by as much as 95 percent below 1990 levels. The state has also pledged to reduce emissions by 2020 by 10 percent below 1990 levels.
But in 2014, emissions levels exceeded that 2020 pledged cap by nearly 1.5 million metric tons, Acadia said. In addition, preliminary data indicates that 2015 emissions may have been even higher.
“The new emissions data indicates that Connecticut is not on track to satisfy this legal requirement,” Acadia said.
The center’s president, Daniel Sosland, called for Connecticut to further incentivize investments in clean energy technologies and increase the amount of clean energy used in the state.
