Global Warming In the News

New Jersey continued to spew more carbon dioxide into the air each year between 2004 and 2007 even as New York and Pennsylvania cut their emissions, a national study has found.

New Jersey emitted 133 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2007 alone, an all-time high. The state ranked 16th-worst among states in emissions, according to the report released Thursday by the citizen advocacy group Environment America and its local chapter, Environment New Jersey.

Carbon dioxide, released into the air by the combustion of oil, coal and natural gas, is a key pollutant linked to global warming.

"More pollution than ever before isn't a record we want to set," said Matt Elliott of Environment New Jersey. "It's time to take back control of our energy future. By harnessing the power of the wind and sun, we can cut pollution and transition to clean energy sources."

New Jersey did manage to slow the rate at which its emissions increase, the report said. While the state's annual carbon dioxide emissions rose on average by nearly half a million metric tons between 1990 and 2004, the annual increase slowed to only about 100,000 metric tons between 2004 and 2007, the report said.

The report, called "Too Much Pollution," uses U.S. Energy Department data.

Jeanne Herb, director of policy and planning for the state Department of Environmental protection, said the report generally matches the state's conclusions about what needs to be done to reduce emissions. The state's goal is to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, and much more drastically by 2050.

Nationally, carbon emissions rose 19 percent from 1990 to 2007, the last year for which data are available. But the rate slowed in the past few years, and emissions peaked in many states in 2004 and 2005. In fact, 17 states, including major polluters Texas and New York, recorded declines in emissions between 2004 and 2007 — New York's dropped 7 percent.

Texas remains the largest polluter since 1990, releasing 675 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2007.

Though final data are not yet available, federal officials estimate that carbon dioxide emissions fell in 2008 by 2.8 percent, due largely to increased fuel prices, the recession and a shift to cleaner energy sources.

However, the report warns emissions still remain "well above the levels needed to prevent the worst impacts of global warming."

Monica Mazurek, a Rutgers University professor who has spent decades studying air pollution, said New York has shown more progress than New Jersey because New York set up a commission in 1975 dedicated to improving energy efficiency.

"Because of that New York is far ahead of the curve, and New Jersey is just seriously behind," she said.

David Pringle of the New Jersey Environmental Federation said the report shows that "many states are doing a lot of good things, which shows that New Jersey getting its act together isn't a theoretical discussion but something that's clearly doable."

Power plants are responsible for 40 percent of emissions, and transportation accounts for 33 percent. In New Jersey, transportation accounted for 54 percent of emissions in 2007.

"This report proves that we will never reach greenhouse gas reduction goals without addressing transportation," said Zoe Baldwin, New Jersey advocate for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Some of the state's transportation pollution comes from out-of-state drivers passing through on the New Jersey Turnpike, Route 80 and other highways, but the state should redouble its efforts to bolster local ridership on NJ Transit, Baldwin said.

The DEP is working with 10 other states in the region on a project to reduce carbon intensity in vehicle fuel. The state is also looking at improving mass transit and creating green corridors so that even drivers travelling through the Northeast corridor can easily find accessible places to recharge their electric or low-carbon vehicles.

The state has fared better in getting a handle on pollution from power plants. Emissions from power plants rose by 58 percent between 1990 and 2007, but by just 2 percent from 2004 to 2007.

Governor Corzine has set aggressive goals for renewable energy, calling for 30 percent of electricity to be generated from such sources as solar and wind by 2020. Governor-elect Chris Christie has said he would offer tax credits to any wind turbine and manufacturing facility that locates in New Jersey.

The state now has more than 4,000 solar installations, ranking it second behind California. It is also reviewing plans for 250 to 300 wind turbines off the South Jersey shore by 2013. "We need to go big on wind fast," Elliott said.