America has the dirtiest power plants in the world, according to a new report from the Environment America Research & Policy Center. American power plants beat all the power plants in the rest of the industrial powers of the world combined for the title of "dirtiest power plants," except for China, based on 2012 figures. The report was released Sept. 19.
The report, titled "America's Dirtiest Power Plants," put America's power plants in stark relief. With the U.N. Climate Summit 2014 coming up next week in New York, this report is a reminder that America has a long way to go before it stops being a major contributor to global warming.
U.S. power plants contributed over 6 percent of greenhouse gases worldwide in 2012, more than any other country except China. American power plants contribute more carbon dioxide globally than the entire nation of Russia, India, Japan, or any country except China, according to the report (PDF).
"It's time to stop ignoring our largest global warming polluter, and start a major transition to clean power," said Elizabeth Ouzts, who works for Environment America Research and Policy Center.
If President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan were introduced, it would eliminate a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions, as much carbon dioxide as the entire country of Canada produced in 2012. That would be huge, since Canada is the eighth-largest carbon dioxide producer in the world, according to the report.
There are other measures currently being pushed in the U.S. to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Obama recently got over 95 percent of America's hydrofluorocarbon producers to agree to voluntarily cut HFC creation. HFC is a very harmful greenhouse gas commonly used as a coolant. However, this is not enough to curb climate change alone. The U.N. reported last month that there need to be steep cuts to greenhouse gas emission worldwide by 2050 to slow down the effects of global warming.
People are marching in New York City on Sept. 20-21 to make a statement about climate change. A missive on the protest organizer's website says, "With our future on the line and the whole world watching, we'll take a stand to bend the course of history. We'll take to the streets to demand the world we know is within our reach: a world with an economy that works for people and the planet; a world safe from the ravages of climate change; a world with good jobs, clean air and water, and healthy communities."
