Nuclear Energy - Cuomo Red-Headed Stepchild Fights Climate Change

Climate Change, Anthropocene, & Associated Issues

Date posted: 12/08/15

Dr. Conca reports that in the midst of the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris, Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the State Department of Public Service to design and enact a new Clean Energy Standard that requires half of all electricity used in New York State to be produced from clean and renewable energy sources by 2030. The state has also vowed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by that same year. New York State already gets 50% of its electricity from clean energy sources, thanks to nuclear energy and hydropower, with a little help from wind. Natural gas makes up most of the rest of the total generation since coal- and oil-fired plants are almost gone from the state. But, natural gas is the major emitter of CO2 in the power sector. Despite an all-out effort by the state to increase renewables over the last ten years, wind plus solar account for only 4% of the state total electricity and only 6% of the state carbon-free power. Nuclear provides over 30% of the state total electricity and 60% of the state carbon-free power. Hydro provides the other 34% of the state carbon-free electricity and about 18% of the state total electricity. The state has spent years replacing what coal-generating capacity it had with naturals gas, and gas has become the back-up energy source for the entire northeast. So it is unlikely the state will slash natural gas at all, especially with all the gas reserves it has underground in shale deposits. So Dr. Conca asks ...what fossil fuel is left to decrease? Although significant efficiencies and conservation can occur in agriculture, buildings and industry, gasoline-driven vehicles. Over 8 million internal combustion engines drive the roads of New York each year burning almost 6 billion gallons of gasoline. This emits about 54 million tons of CO2 a year. Instead, about 6 million of these gasoline cars need to be replaced by fully electric cars (EVs) if the state wants to reach its 40% reduction.