Global Warming News

Power Plants, Cars Main Culprits For Carbon Dioxide Rise Cited in Report

As the new home of NJPIRG's environmental work, Environment New Jersey can be contacted regarding this news release. 

TRENTON—Global warming pollution in New Jersey jumped 36% between 1960 and 2001, according to "The Carbon Boom," a new analysis of government data released on June 20 by the New Jersey Public Interest Research Group (NJPIRG). Increased coal emissions from power plants and oil emissions from transportation sources were responsible for 62% and 38% of this increase, respectively.

“When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging. To protect future generations from the effects of global warming, we need to stop this trend of increasing pollution,” said NJPIRG Field Director Doug O’Malley.

NJPIRG has launched a state-wide campaign this summer to draw attention to global warming’s impacts, and to urge Gov. Jon Corzine to commit to making New Jersey a national leader on this issue by pledging to reduce global warming emissions by 70% by 2050 and 20% by 2020.

Using data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NJPIRG’s new report examines trends in carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel combustion nationally and by state between 1960 and 2001, the most recent year for which state-by-state data are available. Major findings of the report include:

• New Jersey emitted 88.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 1960; by 2001, the state’s emissions had grown to 120.7 million metric tons, an increase of 36%.

• Nationwide, emissions of carbon dioxide nearly doubled between 1960 and 2001, jumping from 2.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 1960 to almost 5.7 billion metric tons in 2001, an increase of 95 percent.

• A dramatic growth in oil combustion in the transportation sector and coal combustion for electricity generation fueled the rapid increase in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions between 1960 and 2001. Increased coal and oil combustion each accounted for 40% of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

• In New Jersey, increased natural gas combustion – mainly in industrial processes and to heat and power our homes and businesses – accounted for 62% of the state’s increase in carbon dioxide emissions from 1960 to 2001. Increased combustion of oil contributed 36% of the state’s growth in emissions from 1960 to 2001.

The early effects of global warming are evident in New Jersey and worldwide. According to NASA, 2005 was the warmest year ever recorded. Left unchecked, global warming threatens to substantially raise sea levels in New Jersey, inundating our coast. A 2005 Princeton study estimated a sea level rise of 2 to 4 feet, which combined with increased flooding, would impact up to 9 percent of the state.

New Jersey and the U.S. could substantially reduce its global warming pollution by using existing technologies to make power plants, buildings and cars more efficient and increase the use of clean, renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, O’Malley noted.

“These are win-win solutions because they also would reduce our dependence on oil, reduce air pollution, protect pristine places from oil drilling and mining, and save consumers money,” he said.

Oil companies – led by ExxonMobil – automakers, and most electric utilities continue to fight common sense solutions to global warming, O’Malley pointed out. For instance, ExxonMobil gave at least $15 million between 1998 and 2004 to groups working to confuse the public about the broad scientific consensus on the causes of and solutions to global warming.

“Our leaders must take decisive action to stop the worst effects of global warming. We urge Gov. Corzine to make New Jersey a national leader on this issue, and we want to thank Senator Robert Menendez for signing the Collins-Durbin letter to the president, urging real reductions in global warming emissions,” O’Malley concluded. “Global warming is real, it is happening and we must start acting now if we hope to stop it.”

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NJPIRG is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization that represents over 22,000 citizen members.