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Effectiveness of Decarbonization Pathways on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals in the Northeastern U.S.
Citation:
Simm, S., C. Lenox, AND Dan Loughlin. Effectiveness of Decarbonization Pathways on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Goals in the Northeastern U.S. 20th CMAS Conference, Virtual, NC, November 01 - 05, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
This abstract is for the 20th CMAS Conferece. It discusses the CO2 and air pollution impacts of various decarbonization pathways applied to eleven northeastern states within GLIMPSE/GCAM.
Description:
Increased awareness of the impacts of global climate change has resulted in many US states committing to various greenhouse gas reduction (GHG) and decarbonization goals. In this study, GLIMPSE is used to analyze various decarbonization pathways in eleven Northeastern states. GLIMPSE is a decision support modeling tool being developed by the EPA to support state-level environmental and energy planning. GLIMPSE is a graphical interface for the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM), an integrated assessment model (IAM) developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. GCAM links representations of the world's energy, economic, agriculture, and land use systems with a climate model, simulating their interactions and co-evolution. The aim of this study is to provide a greater understanding of the potential impacts these state GHG mitigation policies have on carbon dioxide (CO2) and air pollutant reductions and what additional efforts might be needed for states to reach their ultimate goals. The states studied in this analysis include Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The decarbonization pathways explored include: increased electrification and efficiency in the building sector, increased electrification in the passenger vehicle sector, renewable portfolio standards, clean energy standards including carbon capture and storage technologies and biomass use. These pathway choices are applied to each individual state, both alone and in combination, and the reduction in CO2 is analyzed at the state level, providing insight into what type of pathways could be most effective for each state.
