By SUSAN EVANS
Regardless of their stances on global warming, scientists do agree that Pennsylvania’s carbon dioxide emissions come mainly from fossil fuels, including coal.
Penn State researchers found that fossil fuel contributes 90 percent of the total carbon dioxide, and that in the 1990s, Pennsylvania’s total greenhouse gas emissions increased 3 percent.
“While Pennsylvania’s share of the national total greenhouse gas emissions has been declining, its contribution is still above the national average on a per capita basis,” the researchers said in a 1998 report.
That year Pennsylvania was fourth among states in production of carbon dioxide, and only 12 countries produced more carbon dioxide than Pennsylvania.
That data are important in light of the national cap-and-trade program that was passed by the House of Representatives in June and now awaits action by the U.S. Senate.
Through a financial incentive system, the program aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially from coal-fired power plants.
Opponents say it will be the death knell for coal mining in the state and will drastically increase energy prices.
The greenhouse gas emissions inventory was funded by the state Department of Environmental Protection and conducted by Penn State’s Center for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
The researchers found that none of the categories except carbon dioxide generated more than 5 percent of total emissions.
Most scientists believe that greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, which they say will harm agriculture, forests, wildlife and human health.
However, Penn State researchers note that the social and political effects of reducing greenhouse gas emissions are complicated because a significant portion of the economic activity that generates greenhouse gases, such as generation of electricity, is exported to customers in other states.
