The 2020 session of the Maryland General Assembly is expected to feature multiple debates about how to address climate change by reducing Maryland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
So how much GHG does
Maryland produce?
According to the World
Resources Institute Climate Data Explorer, Maryland generates 74.1 metric tons
of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e)
annually. That accounts for 1.08 percent of all GHG emissions nationally and
ranks Maryland 36th among states for the amount of GHG it produces.
In Maryland, transportation is the single
largest source of emissions at 28.3 Mt CO2e
annually. Energy production is the
second largest source at 18.8 Mt CO2e
and commercial properties the fifth largest source at 5.1 Mt CO2e.
According to the World Resources Institute, Maryland was among 35 states that cut its GHG emissions from 2005 to 2014. Maryland reduced its emissions by more than 20 percent, largely due to changes in electric power generation.
