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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Report: Carbon emissions are falling in Minnesota

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 2/1/23

REGIONAL— Greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota declined by 23 percent between 2005 and 2020, according to a new analysis released this week by the state’s Department of Commerce and …

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Report: Carbon emissions are falling in Minnesota

Posted

REGIONAL— Greenhouse gas emissions in Minnesota declined by 23 percent between 2005 and 2020, according to a new analysis released this week by the state’s Department of Commerce and Pollution Control Agency.
In their biennial report, the two state agencies informed the Legislature that the state is currently on track to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2025.
State regulators say the largest decline in greenhouse emissions is in electrical generation, where greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 54 percent over that same 15-year period. That reduction has been made possible by the rapid transition of the state’s electricity generation sector away from coal and toward renewable energy, a trend that is continuing with investments in clean energy sources such as wind and solar.  
The transportation sector remains Minnesota’s largest source of climate-warming emissions, accounting for about 25 percent. Light- and heavy-duty trucks are the largest sources of greenhouse emissions in the transportation sector. Emissions from the agriculture and forestry sector remained flat, with carbon capture from forest growth offsetting a rise in emissions from crop and animal agriculture.
“Industry policy shifts, better agricultural practices, and personal behavior changes during the pandemic provided Minnesota with a course correction, but it is essential that we double-down on climate actions that can keep us on track,” said MPCA Commissioner Katrina Kessler.
“This report shows we have successes to celebrate, and we have a clear path forward with the Climate Action Framework on what we need to do,” added Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold. We now have a historic opportunity for investments in clean energy, from the billions in federal funds and actions being taken by the state Legislature, to the collective efforts happening across this state by individuals and businesses, schools and other local governments, communities of all types and sizes, and our tribal nations in Minnesota.” 
Emissions from the residential sector, including homes and apartment buildings, have risen 14 percent during the period. For the commercial sector, which includes businesses, hospitals, and schools, greenhouse emissions have dropped 22 percent, driven by the declining use of oil and natural gas in these facilities, which peaked in 2014.  
The COVID pandemic resulted in changes within many sectors, which caused Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions to drop significantly in 2020. Future years’ data will show whether these trends continue, since emissions in many sectors were already declining in 2018 and 2019.    
The state’s bipartisan 2007 Next Generation Energy Act set statutory benchmarks to reduce greenhouse emissions 15 percent from 2005 levels by 2015, 30 percent by 2025, and 80 percent by 2050. In 2022, Minnesota’s Climate Action Framework updated goals for the state to reduce emissions 50 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 
The Climate Action Framework also identifies a series of actions Minnesota must take to reduce our greenhouse emissions and to prepare our communities for the impacts of climate change.