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Make the Next Decade Count

Category: Blog

Last month, young people around the world marched to demand action from decision makers. They echoed what thousands of the world’s climate scientists have concluded: only a short period of time remains — 10 years, from now until 2030 — for the world to reduce climate pollution by at least 45% from 2010 levels and shift to clean energy systems so the globe can avoid the worst impacts of a warming planet. For twenty years, Acadia Center has been accelerating strong state, local, and regional action to address climate pollution. Now, it will draw from its strengths in analysis, thought leadership, relationship building, and informed advocacy to meet these urgent climate deadlines and implement a refined strategy it calls Make the Next Decade Count TM. Make the Next Decade Count seeks to bring greater attention to the
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Key Takeaways from the Latest RGGI Investment Report

Category: News

Given these impressive results, it’s no surprise that the RGGI states have outperformed states outside the program both environmentally and economically. In a recent report, our friends at the Acadia Center found that over the last decade power plant carbon pollution in the RGGI region has fallen nearly twice as fast compared to other states. At the same time, the RGGI states’ economies have grown 31 percent faster than non-RGGI states and electricity prices in the RGGI region have fallen by an average of 5.7 percent, even as prices have risen by 8.6 percent in other states. Read the full article from NRDC
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Proposed Plan Would Bring Climate Justice to Providence

Category: News

Buildings produce 70 percent of emissions in Providence. The transportation sector accounts for 30 percent. A report by the Acadia Center identified the major sources as homes, schools, office buildings, hospitals, cars, and buses. Read the full article from ecoRI News here.

NJ in New Regional Effort to Cap Vehicle Emissions

Category: News

“Taking on the largest source of pollution will require bold solutions, and the TCI framework offers a solid foundation for a bold regional cap-and-invest program,’’ said Jordan Stutt, carbon programs director at Acadia Center. “The TCI states need to build on that by establishing an ambitious cap on emissions — aligned with the latest science — and forward-looking investment approaches to deliver better, cleaner, more equitable transportation options across the region.’’ Read the full article from NJ Spotlight here.

A Major Fossil Fuel State Is Joining RGGI, the Northeast’s Carbon Market

Category: News

Since RGGI started in 2009, participating states have cut their carbon emissions from electric generation by 47 percent—90 percent faster than the rest of the country, according to a study by the clean energy nonprofit Acadia Center. Read the full article from Inside Climate News here.

Wolf begins process to bring Pennsylvania into regional cap-and-trade program

Category: News

An analysis released in September by the Acadia Center, an environmental think tank, found that electricity prices “dropped by 5.7 percent across the [RGGI] region” between 2008 and 2017. The report also cited internal RGGI data to show a 47 percent decline in carbon emissions from power plants in the nine states since 2008. Read the full article from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star here.

States unveil plan to curb transportation emissions

Category: News

“The framework agreement is a major achievement for this bipartisan group of states,” said Jordan Stutt, carbon programs director for the Acadia Center, an environmental advocacy group in Boston. Stutt and others cautioned that its effectiveness will depend on the details. “The TCI program will be a success if this framework is paired with an emissions cap that reflects the urgency of the climate crisis,” he said. “We’ve run out of time for anything less than that.” Read the full article from The Boston Globe here.

Carbon Pulse Daily: Tuesday September 17, 2019

Category: News

RGGI results – The Northeast US RGGI carbon market has cut emissions across its nine member states 90% faster than the rest of the country, as economic growth in the region outpaced the overall average by 31%, according to a report released by environmental think-tank Acadia Center. The study showed that CO2 output fell across the states by 47% since the ETS commenced in 2009, while GDP there grew by 47%. Additionally, electricity prices under RGGI fell by 5.7% over this stretch, while nationally costs rose 8.6%. Read the full article from Carbon Pulse here.

New England aims to ensure electric vehicle rebates aren’t just for wealthy

Category: News

“What’s important for this movement that is happening right now is that there is a lot of work being done to get the design of the programs done right,” said Emily Lewis, director of climate and energy analysis at the Acadia Center, which monitors climate policies in the Northeast. That includes work around the emerging Transportation Climate Initiative. “Programs are trying to get more input at the front end of design, which was a criticism of RGGI, that is was designed before getting input,” Lewis said. As part of the transportation initiative’s required public engagement, Lewis said, planners should do more to
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