Greenhouse Gases

Methane, significantly more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, is a major contributor to global warming. A new study using satellite data and atmospheric models reveals that methane emissions in the U.S. during 2019 were higher than EPA’s estimates, particularly from oil and gas operations and landfills. These findings underscore the need for improved methane monitoring and reporting to better target emission reduction efforts.

1,200 likely US voters were surveyed by the polling firms of Public Citizen and Data for Progress to ask if fossil fuel companies “should be held legally accountable for their contributions to climate change”. 62% said yes, suggesting majority support for civil lawsuits against oil companies. The poll was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, geography, and voting history.

Following the adoption of BARC's Joint Resolution to Address Climate Change in September of 2021, cross-agency working groups from BARC's member agencies have begun the process of developing a Shared Work Plan, which will strategically align agency planning and regulatory initiatives within a 1-5 year time frame in order to accelerate the implementation of specific strategies that advance shared climate mitigation and adaptation goals. 

In this article, the New York Times highlights the climate policies that California and New York are undertaking at the state level, which are among the most ambitious in the world. Both states seek to slash greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to nearly zero in three decades.

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday night, Berkeley became the first city in the U.S. to ban natural gas connections in new buildings. Beginning in 2020, all new buildings in Berkeley, including commercial and residential construction, will be all-electric, with certain temporary exemptions for specific types of building systems. Existing buildings will not be affected.

In an article published today, the Washington Post presented an analysis of temperature data across the Lower 48 states, finding that major areas are nearing or have already crossed the critical 2 degree Celsius threshold of temperature increase.

An article in the Mercury News reported that on Tuesday, San Jose's city council approved an ordinance barring natural gas in new single-family homes, low-rise multifamily buildings and detached granny flats beginning next year. San Jose is now the largest city to pass an ordinance banning natural gas from many new buildings, joining the cities of Berkeley and Menlo Park in taking ambitious action to reduce current and future greenhouse gas emissions.