A clean energy future for Connecticut

The massive fires on the West Coast recently turned Connecticut skies an ugly grayish white. We can be relieved they are not orange like in California, but altered sky color does remind us that we live on a small interconnected planet. The climate-strengthened forest fires, hurricanes and sea level rise around the U.S. and world are rightfully increasing levels of concern by people in New Haven County, with 77 percent saying it will harm future generations.

But what can we do about climate change locally? New Haven Climate Movement’s Electric Future campaign encourages the transition to electricpowered buildings, transportation and appliances to reduce carbon emissions. This strategy builds on Connecticut’s relatively green electricity (50 percent non-carbon sources) which means that every conversion from fossil fuel power to electricity results in an immediate 50 percent drop in carbon emissions. Going electric means a big drop in carbon emissions for the life of the car, building or appliance, especially as the state’s electricity supply is going to get cleaner as the state moves towards 100 percent clean electricity by 2040.

An electric future will have other important benefits, including:

▶ Improved air quality: All-electric transportation vehicles improve outdoor air quality, particularly for residents living near major roads. New

Haven is now ranked 11th of 100 U.S. metropolitan cities that are most challenging to live with asthma by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America;

Increased building savings: A study on electrification in California concluded. “For new construction, going allelectric will save money compared to building a gas-heated home in most cases, with life cycle cost (upfront cost plus operating costs) savings of $130 to $540 per year.”

Reduced noise pollution: Electric vehicles and lawn care tools, for example, produce far less noise than gaspowered ones, and noise pollution has been shown to have detrimental effects on human health and local ecosystems.

Safety: Electrified buildings provide safer living conditions in that they lead to lower risk of building fires or carbon monoxide leaks.

An electric future also could mean Connecticut could move toward building a local clean energy industry that will supply all our energy needs. Relying on local wind, solar and other sources would mean that the roughly $4 billion Connecticut residents and businesses spend importing fossil fuels each year can instead go to local energy producers.

The present building boom here is throwing up a number of large buildings that will be relying on fossil fuels for heating for decades to come. Yet it is possible to build all-electric buildings or even use passive construction to have buildings actually produce more energy than they consume.

In this era of heightened interest in environmental justice, gasoline-powered cars also need to be a target. Switching to electric cars will reduce your trail of toxic gases each day and is an important step to creating a more just region, which could lead other people to switch to electric, too, accelerating the needed decarbonization of transportation.

The global momentum towards going all electric is growing, with for example the UK deciding to end the sales of new gas vehicles by 2030 following the lead Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands.

The only reason that we continue to invest in fossil-fuel-powered systems is that we don’t have to directly pay for the climate damage and the negative public health impacts. If car and building owners were charged for related pollution, they would likely choose electric options.

We obviously have important decisions to make with the unprecedented climate crisis. Every investment in electrification now helps move us away from a chaotic future and towards a more healthy, energy-independent region.