State Finalizes New Greenhouse Gas Emission Limits

As of Earth Day, April 22, Massachusetts has new, lower, greenhouse gas emission limits.  But wait - environmental groups are greeting the limits with a sense of disappointment. The state's 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act required that greenhouse gases be reduced at least 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. The new law essentially raises the 80% reduction to 85% by 2050, with another 15%  (achieving 100% net zero emissions) reduction required by "net zero" tradeoffs. Senator Barrett has called this "silly math." Read the linked Commonwealth Magazine article below for further information. As Greta Thunberg has pointed out, what we need are zero greenhouse emissions, not net zero emissions. Zero is zero, not some kind of calculated and questionable tradeoff. Still, this is a step.