The issue of climate change is politically contentious. In the United States, political opinion is sharply divided between Democrats and Republicans. This sharp divide has implications for policy outcomes concerning climate change and the future of the earth. Despite political disagreements on the nature and causes of climate change, scientists do agree that human activities are contributing to the release or emission of greenhouse gases that potentially trap heat and affect the future of the earth. Some of the activities responsible for the warming of the planet are the fueling of economic growth with fossil fuels, heavy industrial and manufacturing processes, and, changes in agricultural patterns. In the United States at the state level some states have taken the initiative to respond to changes in weather patterns and the climate. This paper explores a number of policies that the state of New Hampshire can state to mitigate climate change.
New Hampshire is a state that relies heavily on tourism. It however is also a state that releases a lot of greenhouse gases. It is estimated that New Hampshire emits a lot of carbon dioxide about 92% of greenhouses gases in the state. The rest of the greenhouse gases are methane with &% release and nitrous oxide with 1%. Most of carbon dioxide gases come predominantly from the transportation system and the generation of power. Only about 1% of gases is produced by industrial processes. About 84 percent of methane comes from waste management.
There are a number of ways New Hampshire can guarantee a safer and cleaner planet. The first way to guarantee a safer planet is the reduction of CO2 emissions. A successful reduction of CO2 would guarantee reduced sea levels, better individual health, less severe weather, and the protection of natural resources. The CO2 levels for the state of new Hampshire need to be reduced to at least 26%. Because gas emissions come from different sectors, all calculations have to factor in changes in all sectors. Since the transportation system contributes the most CO2 emissions in New Hampshire, it needs to be overhauled first. This can be achieved by improving the grid system so that power generation does not contribute immensely to CO2 emissions. Renewable energies can also be promoted.
The promotion of renewable energy is critical to the reduction of CO2 emissions for the state of New Hampshire. At the present moment New Hampshire’s renewable energy output is 4, 447 megawatts and it has a generation potential of 12, 819, 000 megawatt-hours. The creation of a renewable energy program would enable it to get more than 3 million megawatt-hours of its energy potential. An increase in solar, biomass and other sources of renewable energy like geothermal and wind energy can increase energy production and at the same time make significant reductions in CO2 emissions. Renewable energy is not cheap and this leads politicians and business to ignore the impact of fossil fuels but fossil fuels generate more energy and are cheaper to generate. Their effect on the environment cannot be underestimated. New Hampshire because it often leans Democrat in political outcomes and representation has the political potential to improve renewable energy so that the goal of CO2 reduction can be met. Individuals like New Hampshire Senator, Jane Sheheen are at the fore of promoting efficient energy use and pushing the United States Congress to admit that global warming is a threat to the United States and the globe.
In addition to increasing the renewable energy potential at the state level, New Hampshire can also provide incentives for individuals who invest in renewable energy and also reduce their daily fossil fuel usage. According to The New Hampshire Climate Action Plan, one third of the energy consumed in the state is used in the heating of spaces, hot water and process conditioning. The presence of incentives to use renewable energy forces makes the idea of individual contribution to climate change feasible. Instead of relying on the national grid, individual can install high efficient and low CO2 heating systems. This means that the state has to identity energy programs that can potentially contribute to individual motivation to invest time and space in renewable energy. Making the incentive program part of legislation is also another way to show people that the incentive program is critical to the future of the state.
Incentives are critical to the realization of the goal of 26% level reduction of CO2 emissions but they are not complete in their own. The removal of barriers to the generation of efficient energy is also important for the state of New Hampshire. Barriers come in many ways that include political obstruction and the lack of funding for programs. The state can also renovate or change its old infrastructure that makes energy consumption difficult. The removal of barriers is difficult in the context where the demand for energy keeps on rising and energy outputs from environmental friendly sources is low. New hampshire has to move away from carbon based fossil fuel powered plants to cleaner energy without jeopardizing consumer needs. One of the best way to deal with barriers is to have a clear renewable energy goal like the one from the New Hampshire Climate Action Plan. The plan targets to produce 25% of New Hampshire Energy from renewable sources by the year 2025. For this target to be met, the state has to make available infrastructure that will connect renewable energy sources to the grid. This is made possible by the ISO-NE interconnection that makes it possible for disparate energy sources to converge.
After the removal of barriers the state of New Hampshire can then try to implement a smart energy policy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the national grid which was last built in the 1960s and 1970s has become less efficient leading to the loss of billions of dollars a year in infrastructure repair and malfunctioning of the greed service. The recent spat of severe weather conditions has also made it impossible for the old grid to sustain the nation. The state of New Hampshire can become a leader in developing an electric grid that is smart and tends to the needs of consumers. It can have the ability to save money while all energy means are being met. The changing of the grid system into a modern system entails the incorporation of digital technology that communicates information about energy use between consumers and suppliers. It also includes the capacity for energy storage devices. The availability of real time pricing mechanism helps both the state and the individual since it helps with savings that can be spend on other parts of New Hampshire’s economy.
One of the current programs New Hampshire has for the reduction of CO2 emissions is the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. These are used for passenger vehicles and trucks. Most of the CO2 emissions in New Hampshire are linked to the transportation sector. While residential use of energy contributes to CO2 emissions, it is in transportation that political contention exists. Most fossil fuels are burned when people drive around going about their daily business. The promotion of alternative transportation such as trains and buses is important to the reduction of CO2 emissions. The CAFE standards are there to reduce fossil fuel burning but also to increase the desire for individuals to use the public transit. The public transit alone would reduce fossil fuel emission by a significant percentage. One of the significant ways of reducing CO2 emissions for New Hampshire has been the encouraging of the use of alternative fuel vehicles. With advanced technology, vehicles can be powered by natural gas, propane, ethanol and biodiesel. There is also the potential for hybrid electric cars and advanced electric cars. There vehicles demand that the state make available plug in electric ports. The tricky side of electric vehicles is that they can be charged at plug in ports that has energy coming from fossil fuels. This means that plug in ports have to have renewable sources of power.
Using the data provided by the New Hampshire Climate Action Plan. The implementation of the above policies will result on an 8% reduction in building energy use. It will also result in 3.44% reduction in electricity generation related CO2 emissions. The emission level reduction for transportation will reach 9% and emissions from natural resources will amount to at least 2%. The program will save at least $1,6 billion annually for New Hampshire. The cost of the policy proposals will be split between the state and consumers. Consumers will incur the cost of changing to renewable energy though they will get incentives from the state. It is upon the state to make sure that fuel emissions are reduced by promoting the use of public transit and electric cars. The government has the mandate to modernize the grid though this will mean it will have to raise taxes to achieve this fit.
In conclusion, New Hampshire is a state that is proud of its tourism industry and one of the most important elements of tourism is clean air. The measure above will help in reducing CO2 emissions from the state of New Hampshire and propel the state into the future. The political debates on the merits of the measures will continue at both the state and federal level but they will not stop the implementation of measures. New Hampshire has the capacity to be a leader in CO2 reduction and these programs will be a good starting point for that leadership position.
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