It feels like each Pennsylvania summer gets hotter. With more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from fossil-fuel industries, consequences such as droughts, torrential rains and pollution-based health issues will become even more concerning and common.
Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on carbon pollution from coal- and gas-burning plants, aiming to avoid more than 600 million metric tons of CO2 pollution. This could prevent 300,000 asthma attacks and 1,300 premature deaths in 2030 alone. These power plants generate around 25% of the planet-warming pollution in the United States, so reining in these emissions will help us avoid the worst of climate change.
In 2020, Pennsylvania ranked as the fourth largest greenhouse gas-emitting state, so implementing these EPA standards here will have a huge impact on reducing our carbon footprint and reducing emissions nationwide. The EPA’s new regulation is a golden opportunity to reduce greenhouse gases and protect Pennsylvanians from heat waves, health issues and extreme weather events. The EPA should implement the strongest standards as swiftly as possible.
Jonathan Izzo
Mt. Lebanon