2022 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Indicates Steady Progress Towards Act on Climate Requirements

Published on Monday, December 09, 2024

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announced today that Rhode Island’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions decreased in 2022. At 9.60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO₂e), statewide emissions dropped by 2.2% from 2021 levels. Over a longer timescale, emissions decreased by 18.3% since 1990. The findings emerged from an annual assessment of the state’s GHG emissions conducted by DEM air quality specialists. When compared to unofficial state-level data published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Rhode Island was the only New England state to see lower emissions in 2022. Official 2022 GHG inventories from other New England states will likely be published in 2025. The annual inventory is the primary scientific tool used by the Rhode Island Executive Climate Change Coordinating Council (EC4) to assess progress towards the 2021 Act on Climate – authored by Senator Dawn Euer and Representative Lauren Carson and signed into law by Governor McKee in 2021 – to guide the state to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. 

“Rhode Island has established ambitious and necessary goals to reduce GHG emissions and increase renewable energy,” said Governor Dan McKee. “Rigorous monitoring of emissions through our annual GHG inventories and continued investments will keep us firmly planted on the path to a low carbon future. I look forward to collaborating across all of state government next year as the EC4 prepares RI’s 2025 Climate Action Strategy.”

“Our team has worked hard to shorten the turnaround time for the publication of RI’s GHG inventory, which was a high priority request from many stakeholders,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “We have also prioritized efforts to make the inventory based on local RI data as much as possible. We are pleased to see the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, and it may be an early reflection of the growing investments in renewable energy, clean transportation, and energy efficiency. We are looking forward to developing our 2025 Climate Action Strategy to chart our path to achieve the reduction mandates in the Act on Climate”.

Most of Rhode Island’s emissions continue to originate from transportation (36.6%), residential buildings (20.5%), and electricity consumption (18.6%). Aircraft emissions rose in 2022 due to the continued economic rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, transportation emissions dropped by 3.4% because the total distance that RI-registered vehicles traveled slightly declined. Emissions from residential buildings decreased by 1.2%, despite lower average temperatures compared to 2021. Reduced building emissions during a cooler year may indicate that advances in energy efficiency, weatherization, and heating electrification are beginning to measurably impact emissions. 

Emissions from electricity consumption – which originate from power plants throughout New England that supply electricity to Rhode Island – decreased by 1.2%. State law partially governs emissions from this sector. In 2022, the state’s electricity providers were required to obtain at least 19% of their energy from renewable sources. Voluntary clean energy programs helped offset an additional 0.3% of RI’s electricity use with renewables. The wholesale energy market also affects emissions. Wintertime gas pipeline constraints and the war between Russia and Ukraine raised the price of liquified natural gas (LNG) to the highest price since 2014. Higher-emitting oil power plants operated more frequently throughout 2022, causing electricity consumption emissions to marginally decrease.

Since 1990, emissions from transportation, residential buildings, and electricity consumption decreased by 18.3%, 10.9%, and 31.7%, respectively. Adoption of California’s more stringent emissions standards for passenger cars, strides in building energy efficiency, and the rise of economically competitive renewable energy sources are linked to the most significant reductions. However, the replacement of ozone-depleting substances (chlorofluorocarbons or “CFCs”) with climate-warming hydrofluorocarbons (“HFCs”) used in air conditioning and refrigeration have increased emissions from industrial process and product use. While the amount of carbon accumulated in Rhode Island’s natural and working lands has grown since 1990, the ongoing development of forestland continues to reduce the amount of carbon that the state can naturally remove from the atmosphere. Rhode Island must reduce emissions by 26.7% in the next eight years to achieve the Act on Climate’s requirement of 45% below 1990 levels by 2030. 

Open-source federal and state government data are primarily used to estimate emissions in accordance with the methodologies recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Significant progress has been made in publishing the GHG inventory in a timelier fashion – the 2022 findings mark the fastest RI’s emissions have ever been assessed by DEM. For additional information on emissions trends, data sources, and methodologies, read the 2022 inventory's summary report.

To learn more about climate science, RI’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and how to participate, please visit www.climatechange.ri.gov. For more information on DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter/X (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates. Sign up here to receive the latest press releases, news, and events from DEM's Public Affairs Office to your inbox.