The United States government last week released an inventory of federal greenhouse gas emissions, something that will become an annual practice proposed by the Obama administration.
The administration has promised to cut federal emissions 28 percent by 2020 from 2008 levels– saving the government $11 billion. The government currently spends 1.5 percent of the country's total electricity spending.
Significant reductions within U.S. government departments and agencies can lead to a reduction in overall U.S. emissions without the need for sweeping national Congressional legislation or Environmental Protection Agency action.
We have recently written about efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Defense (DOD) to reduce emissions and become more energy efficient.
According to the data, overall, the federal government emitted 121.3 million metric tonnes of carbon in 2010. The majority of this, as we have said before, comes from the DOD.
In 2008, the DOD ranked 47 in the world for carbon intensity – emitting more carbon than Israel, Chile and the Philippines.
The DOD consumes 1.13 percent of U.S. energy consumption, according to 2008 data. And in 2010, it emitted 86.5 million metric tonnes of CO2 - 77 percent of the federal total.
Image by: Department of Defense via Global Green
And even though the DOD received a Green rating in the newly released Office of Management and Budget (OMB) scorecard for submitting inventories to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 34 percent by 2020 from 2008 levels, it has actually so far increased its carbon emissions since 2008, by about 12 million metric tonnes. The categories of reducing energy intensity and petroleum use both received a Red rating – meaning they did not reach their targets. For energy intensity, the DOD did not use at least five percent renewable energy for power, and it did not reduce petroleum by eight percent.
Image by: Department of Defense
Still, these new emissions inventories are the first steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the federal government, an important policy to encourage reductions throughout the country.
The ambitious plan, at least in the DOD, does not seem to be reducing emissions yet, but the annual inventories provide list of where things stand that is easy to navigate. The OMB’s scorecard also gives a clear mark on successful areas and those that need improvement.
Hopefully, the lists and scorecards are the first steps toward producing actual reductions in the federal government that can lead to greater reductions throughout the country.
