Story at a glance
- A Louisiana state task force unanimously approved a proposal to lower greenhouse gas emission to “net zero” levels by 2050.
- Members of Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Climate Initiative Task Force met for over a year to hash out the plan.
- The plan calls for a number of different industries to use wind, solar and other renewable resources.
A Louisiana state task force approved a plan on Monday to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Members of the Gov. John Bel Edwards’ (D) Climate Initiative Task Force agreed on a plan that aims to lower the state’s emissions to “net-zero” levels by 2050.
This goal places the fossil fuel heavy state in line with commitments made under the Paris Agreement, the governor said in a statement.
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Members of the task force met over 15 months to draft the initiative, dubbed the Louisiana Climate Action Plan, which outlines 28 strategies and 84 “actions” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the state’s economy.
“From the outset, it was clear that this planning effort had to grapple with more than just greenhouse gas emissions,” said Harry Vorhoff, the chairman’s designee on the Climate Initiatives Task Force and Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities, in a news release.
“Addressing climate change has significant implications for our communities, environment, and economy. Each of those perspectives was reflected in the membership of our Task Force and committees, which helped us maximize co-benefits and avoid potential harms in each recommendation for taking climate action.”
Under the plan, officials call on a number of industries to use renewable resources like solar and wind energy to fuel their operations and calls on companies to adopt hydrogen-based fuels in place of carbon-based fuels, according to NOLA.com.
The Climate Action Plan is considered the state’s first effort to address the causes of climate change and includes details on the negative consequences of warming global temperatures.
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