The council will set interim goals to ensure the state achieves its 2050 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Governor Dannel Malloy announced on Wednesday the creation of a state council to set goals related to Connecticut's efforts to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Democrat appeared on Earth Day to make the announcement at Riverfront Recapture's Mortensen Plaza in downtown Hartford. Malloy was joined at the event by Rob Klee, commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
"We are committed to ensuring that Connecticut remains a national leader in addressing climate change," Malloy said. "By creating the Governor's Council on Climate Change, we can continue progress to reduce emissions and meet our 2050 target goals."
The council will establish interim goals to ensure the state achieves its 2050 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 2001 levels. The state also has a goal of reducing emissions to ten percent below 1990 levels by 2020, which Malloy said is well on track. The group will consider efforts like natural gas use, renewable energy, electric cars, and more efficient routes for interstate energy.
Klee said that trash management will also be part of the equation, including composting food waste and capturing the methane that gets released. "We see organics as a great opportunity for an intersection between clean energy and waste management," he said. "Organics are about 30 percent of our waste right now. Our goal is to double recycling from 30 percent to 60 percent. If you do something big on organics, you might achieve most of that."
The council includes 15 members who will meet quarterly to recommend policies, regulations, and legislative actions, and report the findings to Malloy by January 1 next year. It will continue to report biannually.
Also Wednesday, state Sen. Ted Kennedy, Jr. and Rep. James Albis planned to appear with UConn students and representatives from various environmental conservation groups to voice support for bills to end the use of single-use plastic and paper bags, and cosmetics that contain microbeads. The tiny plastic particles appear in facial scrubs.
Some UConn students circulated a petition in March calling for the Connecticut legislature to ban the plastic bags.
Patrick Skahill contributed to this report, which includes information from the Associated Press. Ryan King is an intern at WNPR.
