It’s a different story out in the country. Twenty-three states and Puerto Rico have now joined the United States Climate Alliance, which pledges to uphold the Paris climate agreement and to try to meet its goals despite President Trump’s disavowal of the accord. The alliance, which includes New York, now covers more than half the nation’s population and more than one-third of its greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, in the last year, five states have enacted mandates that, with slightly different deadlines, require a transition to carbon-free or carbon-neutral electricity. California last September was the first to move ahead with a clean electricity standard, with a target of 2045. New Mexico, Nevada, Washington State and Colorado have followed. Several others are in the wings, including New York: Mr. Cuomo’s bill would require that all of the state’s electricity come from carbon-free sources by 2040.
Key in all these plans are the words “carbon free” or, in the case of Washington State, “carbon neutral.” They are technologically agnostic. They do not rely exclusively on renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, but allow for a host of strategies. Those strategies include renewables, efficiencies on the consumer side (weatherization of houses, for instance), programs to capture and store emissions and, not least, nuclear power.
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