Report | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

The Way Forward on Global Warming

Humanity is running out of time to stop the most dangerous impacts of global warming. Signs of global warming are appearing around the world—including in the United States—and the latest science suggests that future impacts are likely to occur sooner and be more severe than previously thought.

The failure of the international community to take strong action to limit global warming pollution and the death of comprehensive energy and climate legislation in the U.S. Congress in 2010 have been major setbacks in the battle to prevent the worst impacts of global warming. But there is still hope—there are plenty of opportunities to reduce emissions of global warming pollution in the United States, while restoring momentum in the fight against global warming.

By adopting a suite of clean energy policies at the local, state and federal levels, the United States could curb emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use by as much as 20 percent by 2020 and 34 percent by 2030 (compared with 2005 levels). These savings represent a significant down payment on the emission reductions America must achieve to prevent the worst impacts of global warming, and put the nation on a path to achieve further emission reductions in the years ahead.

Report | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

Building a Better America

We can save money and help solve global warming by reducing the amount of energy we use, including in the buildings where we live and work every day. More than 40 percent of our energy — and 10 percent of all the energy used in the world — goes toward powering America’s buildings. But today’s high-efficiency homes and buildings prove that we have the technology and skills to drastically improve the efficiency of our buildings while simultaneously improving their comfort and affordability.

If we apply those lessons to all buildings, we can reduce energy use in our homes and workplaces by a quarter, lowering global warming pollution from buildings 30 percent by 2030.

News Release | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

Energy Efficient Buildings Would Reduce Global Warming Pollution, Save Florida Families $590 Annually

Florida families could save $590 every year on their electricity bills by 2030 if the government invests in the energy efficiency of our buildings today, according to a new report by Environment Florida. Saving energy in our buildings would also help Florida’s fight against global warming, reducing global warming pollution from buildings by 35 percent—the equivalent of taking 12.6 million cars off the road or shutting down 15 coal-fired power plants.

News Release

Obama Administration to Protect Americans' Health by Setting Carbon Pollution Standardsfor New Power Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed historic new limits on carbon pollution from new power plants.  Carbon pollution fuels global warming, which leads to poor air quality that triggers asthma attacks and other respiratory problems.  Scientists also predict that global warming will lead to more devastating floods, more deadly heat waves and the spread of infectious diseases. Coal-fired power plants are the largest single source of carbon pollution in the U.S., yet there are currently no federal limits on this pollution from power plants.  The standard proposed today will correct that for new power plants by limiting their emissions of carbon pollution.

News Release | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

Fossil Fuel Stranglehold on Climate in Congress Need Not Thwart U.S. Progress

Despite the political dominance of fossil fuel interests and their effective veto of any progress on energy and climate policy in Congress, the U.S. can dramatically reduce global warming emissions, according to a study released today by Environment Florida Research and Policy Center.

Environment Florida Research and Policy Center was joined today by Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda and students Cornerstone Learning Community to release an analysis showing that local governments and states, with an assist from federal agencies, can cut carbon pollution dramatically by 2030.  Moncrief provided the following statement: Despite the political dominance of fossil fuel interests and their effective veto of any progress on energy and climate policy in the U.S. Congress, the U.S. can and must dramatically reduce global warming emissions. We’re here today to show why Florida has a very important role to play in this critical moment.

News Release | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

New Data Shows Florida Power Plants Emit 15th Most Mercury Pollution Nationally

Florida’s power plants emit more mercury pollution than power plants in 35 other states, according to brand new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data outlined in Environment Florida’s latest report, America’s Biggest Mercury Polluters. The report found that in total, power plants in Florida emitted 1,522 pounds of mercury pollution in 2010. Environment Florida’s report comes as EPA is set to finalize a standard to limit mercury and other toxic air pollution from power plants next month.

Report | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

America's Biggest Mercury Polluters

Power plants continue to release large amounts of toxic pollutants, including mercury, into our air. In 2010, two-thirds of all airborne mercury pollution in the United States came from the smokestacks of coal-fired power plants. In other words, power plants generate more airborne mercury pollution than all other industrial sources combined.

News Release | Environment Florida

New Solar Jobs Census 2011 Shows Solar Jobs in Florida on the Rise

The Solar Foundation has released its second annual review of the solar workforce, in a report titled “National Solar Jobs Census 2011:  A Review of the U.S. Solar Workforce.”  The report finds that more than 100,000 Americans are now working in the U.S. Solar Industry, and that number is on the rise throughout the U.S. and in Florida.  The solar industry has added jobs over the last year at a faster rate than the general economy, and that trend is projected to continue.

News Release | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

New Report: Pensacola, Orlando and Tampa/St. Petersburg Named Smoggiest Metropolitan Areas in the State

Today Environment Florida released a new report showing that Pensacola, Orlando, and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater rank as the top three smoggiest metropolitan area in the State.  Smog is a harmful air pollutant that leads to asthma attacks and exacerbates respiratory illnesses, especially among children and the elderly. The new report, Danger in the Air: Unhealthy Air Days in 2010 and 2011 ranks cities in Florida and across the country for the number of days when the air was unhealthy to breathe due to smog pollution last year and this summer.

Report | Environment Florida Research & Policy Center

Danger in the Air

All Americans should be able to breathe clean air.  But pollution from power plants and vehicles puts the health of our nation’s children and families at risk.

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