40% GHG Reduction by 2020? ECO Says: Yes You Can!

ECO, a newsletter published by non-governmental environmental groups at major international conferences, hits hard with its third issue at Poznań.

Produced cooperatively by Climate Action Network (CAN) groups attending the UNFCCC conference in Poland, the “Brown Coal” issue boldly states that industrialized nations can hit a target of 40 percent reduced emissions from 1990 levels by 2020, double the United States’ goal of a 20 percent reduction within that same time frame.

The ECO writes:

“The current crisis offers a tremendous opportunity. A ‘climate-smart’ rescue package in response to the financial crisis will create many green jobs, produce greener energy, and would avoid the dangerous lock-in of emissions from coal. Put simply it will make our economies more efficient, at a time when every penny counts and private investment flows are dwindling. A  ‘climate-smart’ package that focuses on economic innovation and jobs will be appealing to voters who are disenchanted with the hand-outs given to the banks.”

What About U.S.?

During the current economic climate, amid dropping oil prices and lower consumer spending, it is tempting to convert to cleaner energy sources. The ECO suggests that the U.S. could:

• Cut its CO₂ emissions from power plants almost 50 percent below 1990
• Save $350 per year on average household energy bills
• Increase GDP by 0.1 percent by 2030
• Deliver a net gain of up to 1.5 million jobs by 2030

That could be a significant boost to the American economy, as recent estimates have reported that 1.9 million jobs were lost in 2008 and 533,000 in November alone.

“Each of the wealthy countries has massive capacity to mitigate emissions and move to a low-carbon economy, now,” said the ECO. “The technologies exist, the resources exist, now the political will must exist.”