PA Environment Digest Blog: Latest PA Greenhouse Gas Inventory Shows Increase In Emissions For 2nd Consecutive Year; Decrease In Electricity Generation, Transportation Sectors

DEP’s Climate Change Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet August 24 to review the latest Greenhouse Gas Emission Inventory for Pennsylvania and hear an overview of DEP’s Energy Office Clean Energy Program Plan.

The Inventory was updated to include 2018 numbers which show greenhouse gas emissions increased for the second consecutive year in Pennsylvania from 236.21 million tons in 2017 to 241.12 million tons in 2018.

The Inventory had shown a steady decrease from 2005 through 2016 from 289.62 million tons to 235 million tons.

The biggest factor in the decrease in emissions was from the electricity generation sector and the switch from coal to natural gas as a fuel source which alone accounted for a decrease from that sector from 120.97 million tons in 2005 to 73.09 million tons in 2018-- 47.88 million tons.

The mix of electric generation fuels switched from 55.5 percent coal and 5 percent natural gas in 2005 to 20.5 percent coal and 35.5 percent natural gas in 2018.

Emissions increases occurred in the Residential (17 percent), Commercial (12 percent), Industrial (4 percent), and Agricultural (1 percent) sectors. These sectors accounted for 47 percent of emissions in 2018.

Emissions decreased in the Transportation (1 percent) and Electricity Production (3 percent) sectors. These sectors accounted for 51 percent of emissions in 2018.

There was also a 14.3 percent decrease in the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in 2018 compared to 2017 from the forest and land use sectors-- 4.55 million tons. The change was caused in part by updated data for land use and forestry sectors.

Click Here for DEP’s presentation slides on the Inventory. Click Here for the Inventory.

Also on the meeting agenda--

-- Overview Of DEP’s Energy Office Clean Energy Program Plan - Nov. 2020; Click Here for a summary. Click Here for DEP’s presentation slides.

-- Presentation by Dr. Satyapal, DOE, on Hydrogen Technology

-- Report on letters received by the Advisory Committee.

Click Here for the entire agenda.

For more information on the steps being taken by the Commonwealth to address climate change, visit DEP’s Climate Change, Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and Methane Reduction Strategy webpages and DCNR’s Addressing Climate Change On Public Lands webpage.

The Advisory Committee meeting will be held in Room 105 Rachel Carson Building starting at 9:00 a.m. It will also be available by WebEx.

For more information and available handouts, visit DEP’s Climate Change Advisory Committee meeting. Questions should be directed to Lindsay Byron, lbryon@pa.gov.

NewsClips Last Week:

New Franklin & Marshall Poll Results--

-- 62 percent believe Pennsylvania should do more to address climate change

-- More believe climate change is causing problems now than in June- 59 percent

-- 39 percent personally experience problems related to climate change, up from 33 percent in June

-- 71 percent believe elementary and high schools should teach children about climate change

-- Sen. Muth: Senate Environment Committee Fails To Address Climate Crisis

-- Sen. Yaw: Senate Environmental Committee Votes To Urge IRRC Disapproval Of Carbon Tax Plan [RGGI]

-- PA Environmental Council: Now Is The Time For Sustainable Investments To Address Climate Change

-- WHYY - Katie Meyer: Jobs Or The Environment? PA Dems Thread Needle On ‘False Choice’

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Clean Energy Promises Great Opportunity For Pennsylvania

-- ErieT Guest Essay: Raise The Solar Goal And Keep PA An Energy Leader