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In 2001, the governors of the six New England states and the premiers of the eastern Canadian provinces made a landmark commitment to make regional cuts in the carbon pollution that is fueling global warming. However, the report shows that regional commitments made to date, if implemented, would significantly reduce global warming emissions in New England, but not to the extent called for by the regional agreement. The analysis concludes that the region will see less than one-third of the promised pollution reductions unless further steps are taken to clean up cars, power plants, and other sources.

"This report shows that while some progress has been made in New England over the past few years to address global warming, much remains to be done, especially in New Hampshire, to meet even the governors’ short-term goals for dealing with this monumental problem," said Jessica Mantooth of NHPIRG.

The report calculates projected emission reductions from regional commitments made by the governors over the last two years. These measures include boosting the efficiency of power plants, improving conservation programs, and purchasing high-efficiency appliances like LED traffic lights. The report also assesses progress of the individual states toward developing their own climate action plans, a key component of the 2001 agreement.

In an attempt to address what many policy makers and experts consider to be a growing threat to health, economic and environmental stability in the region, the governors committed to cut global warming pollution to 1990 levels by 2010, and by 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. They also agreed to cut pollution by 75 percent to 85 percent in the long term, which is the level scientists predict will be necessary to remove the threat global warming poses to the earth’s climate.

"We hope that Governor Benson’s absence from this meeting is not indicative of his degree of concern over global warming and other key issues before the New England governors," said Doug Bogen, NH Program Director for Clean Water Action. "New Hampshire has a huge stake in getting global warming under control, and that will require leadership to make things happen—leadership that is not yet evident from this report."

The report emphasizes how important it is for the health and economy of New Hampshire and the region that strong global warming emission standards be implemented. Over the past decade, global warming emissions have risen sharply in New England. If current trends continue, the temperature in New England could increase six to ten degrees Fahrenheit over the next century, bringing up the average temperature in Boston to that of Atlanta, Georgia today and causing drastic changes to the regions’ coastal areas, forests, water supplies and resource-based industries.

The New England Climate Coalition, representing over 150 health, energy, environmental and faith groups region-wide, has united around a 10 point platform of policies needed to significantly reduce emissions of global warming pollutants further outlined in the report. Regionally, the coalition urges the governors to adopt the following policies coming out of the regional meeting next week:

• Aggressively promote a regional cap on carbon pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants that features actual emission reductions and does not provide additional subsidies for nuclear reactors.
• Establish a system of mandatory reporting and comprehensive inventories of carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions by 2005.
• Release climate action plans that lay out the roadmap for each state to meet its regional commitments.

"Just as we underestimated the rate at which climate would change, we have underestimated the biological responses to warming, the accompanying weather extremes, and the economic consequences," said Paul Epstein, MD, MPH, Center for Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School. "The good news is that we may have also underestimated the benefits of the clean energy transition. Given the proper incentives, energy efficiency and smart technologies can be the engine of growth for 21st Century, and provide the climatic stability needed to maintain healthy forests and a healthier populous."