Last November, Sen. Dan Sullivan released an energy plan that “could reduce global emissions by up to 40% by 2050.” The good news is that Sen. Sullivan recognizes the need to reduce carbon emissions. The bad news is he doesn’t understand how soon it needs to happen.Reducing emissions by 40% over 30 years would have been a good idea in the 1990s. But CO2 emissions have grown by 50%, and three decades of argument and denial have left us little time. Many climate scientists say we need to cut CO2 emissions in half by 2030, and to net zero by 2050 or 2060. Half-measures won’t suffice. As Bill Gates wrote in 2021, “Setting a goal to only reduce our emissions — but not eliminate them — won’t do it. The only sensible goal is zero.”
The world is already paying the price of climate change. This summer has seen unprecedented heat and drought in California, Texas, Spain, the U.K., France, Iraq and China. Damages include the loss of electrical generation, agriculture, livestock and human lives. For many, climate action is already too late.Tweaking energy supply will not solve the problem. Policies are needed to reduce demand for fossil fuels, now.
— Doug Robbins
Anchorage
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