Our Take on Rhode Island’s Climate Action Strategy
Rhode Island is at a crucial juncture in taking meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Action Strategy (CAS), which is a plan required of the state under the Act on Climate, is scheduled to be released to the public on Monday, December 15th, and the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory released by the Department of Environmental Management has been updated for 2023. These two reports provide context for where the state’s emissions are and what ought to be done to achieve the 2030 GHG reduction mandate. Prior to the release of the final CAS, the Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) - Rhode Island’s interagency organization tasked with coordinating climate change efforts - released a draft executive summary for the Climate Action Strategy which claims that the state will be able to meet the 2030 Act on Climate (AOC) with the current policies RI has on the books e.g. the Renewable Energy Standard, Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks regulations (currently under litigation), current incentives for electric vehicles and heat pump, etc.
