Clean Energy In the News

Carbon dioxide pollution poses a threat, study warns

By Chris Andrews
Lansing State Journal

Carbon dioxide emissions in Michigan have jumped 46 percent over the past four decades, largely because of power plants, cars and light trucks, according to a study released Tuesday.

Emissions nationwide increased almost twice as much as that.

This increase of global warming pollution raises the dangers of droughts, heat waves and lower lake levels in the state and across the nation, the report by Environment Michigan warns.

"2005 was the hottest year on record," said Patrick Wood, citizen outreach director for the group's Lansing office.

"Temperatures are continuing to increase across the globe. Unless something is done, the trend will continue."

The report, titled "The Carbon Boom," analyzed government data from 1960 to 2001.

It found:

• Nationwide, emissions of carbon dioxide almost doubled. Michigan emitted 189 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2001, a 46 percent increase.

• Increased oil combustion, largely from cars and trucks, accounted for nearly a third of the increase in Michigan. About 21 percent came from coal emissions.

Question of coal

The Environment Michigan report asks Congress to raise fuel efficiency standards for vehicles and calls for Michigan not to build more coal-fired power plants.

Mike Shriberg, director of the statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization, said that while air quality has improved with some pollutants, carbon dioxide remains unregulated.

Shriberg said building new coal-fired plants would be "the wrong direction for global warming, air quality and the economy."

Lou Pocalujka, senior environmental planner for Consumers Energy, said any new coal-fired power plants would operate much more efficiently than ones that were built decades ago.

He said the increase cited in the study amounted to about 1 percent a year.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm has directed Michigan Public Service Commission Chairman Peter Lark to develop a 21st-century energy plan for the state by the end of the year.

Commission spokeswoman Judy Palnau said the state can meet its electricity needs through 2009 but will need additional capacity after that.

Environment Michigan officials want to see mandatory limits on global warming pollution to reduce emissions by 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.

Pollution solutions

The group argues America can substantially reduce such pollution by making power plants and cars more efficient and using clean renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and plant-derived material such as ethanol.

But Pocalujka said alternative energy sources can go only so far. Wind power, for instance, depends on wind.

Pocalujka said that under current projections, China is likely to emit more than twice the carbon dioxide emissions as the United States by 2025.

"If the problem is a reduction in overall (carbon dioxide) emissions, doing some tweak on Michigan isn't going to amount to a hill of beans," he said.