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Climate vs. Economy: Four LessonsFroma Year of Reporting

Steve Baragona

   Does fighting climate change mean wrecking the economy?

   That's the question my editor posed to me about a year ago. It has been
   the focus of my reporting ever since.

   The rhetoric from climate change skeptics suggests it would. President
   Donald Trump has made canceling Obama-era greenhouse gas regulations a
   central part of his tenure. Economic rationales are always front and
   center.

   Meanwhile, Democratic presidential candidates say they will create
   millions of jobs by transforming the energy system to carbon-free
   sources.

   Job killer or job creator? Leaving aside for the moment the fact that
   climate change is already imposing enormous costs that are only
   becoming worse, I went looking for answers in Massachusetts, Wyoming
   and Colorado.

   Here's some of what I learned.It's not simple. And much remains to be
   seen.

   1.Where steps have been taken, the economy has kept growing.

   Take Massachusetts, for example.The Bay State passed the Global Warming
   Solutions Act in 2008, calling for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gases
   from 1990 levels by 2050. Massachusetts requires power plants to pay
   for their carbon dioxide emissions. The state was among the first to
   require power companies to generate a certain portion of their
   electricity from renewable sources. The government offers rebates and
   incentives for renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric vehicles
   and more.

   Greenhouse gas emissions have come [1]down by 17% from 2008 to 2017 in
   the state.

References

   1. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/

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