State Senator Michael Barrett, the lead author of the state’s 2050 climate plan, said the economic shutdown in March 2020 was a “lucky” break for the Baker administration on emissions levels. “Emissions appear to have popped back up in 2021,” he said.
Indeed, while the International Energy Agency documented a steep emissions decline globally in 2020 as people flew and drove far less than usual, a March 2021 report noted that carbon dioxide emissions were rebounding strongly in early 2021. The report found that emissions in December 2021 were actually higher than those of December 2019, as major economies began to bounce back and economic activity drove energy demand higher.
The slow pace of emissions reporting has long troubled climate watchdogs, from advocates to legislators, because long-term goals mean little without a way to measure progress. That’s a problem that is expected to start improving starting this year, thanks to the new climate law’s requirement that the state report within 18 months whether an emissions limit has been met, according to Barrett.