New England states can reduce their carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050, but it won’t be easy, environmental consulting firm M.J. Bradley & Associates said in a report Wednesday. The region has made great strides toward decarbonization, with coal use down more than 80 percent since 2005, the report says, noting that most states in the region aim to reduce total carbon emissions by 80 percent. “A pathway to achieve these targets would be to continue decarbonizing electricity production and supply with more clean energy, while at the same time transitioning transportation and heating buildings from fossil fuels to electric power.”
The basic tools needed to achieve an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions are already well known, and include electric vehicle, energy efficiency, wind and solar energy generation, advanced lighting, and energy storage, according to the report. “However, they have yet to be deployed at the scale required to meet the goals set by the states. The rapid pace of innovation that we are witnessing with these technologies indicate that such a transition will become increasingly feasible, as companies continue to enter and compete in this new economic space and consumers embrace new clean energy options,” the report concludes.
