Remove Carbon Dioxide Remove Fossil Fuels Remove Nitrogen Oxides
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Fossil Fuels Must Go: Re-inventing US Transportation

Union of Concerned Scientists

Carbon dioxide and methane (a short-lived but extremely powerful global warming gas) are emitted during the extraction, processing, storage, transportation and combustion of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum fuels used by our vehicles. We have over 284 million gasoline- and diesel-burning cars, trucks and buses on our roads.

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Good News—and Bad—about Fossil Fuel Power Plants in 2023 

Union of Concerned Scientists

And fossil fuel power plants may not stick to their retirement schedules for a variety of reasons. In 2021 alone, the plants slated for retirement emitted more than 28,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides (NO x ), 32,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and 51 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), according to EIA data.

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Don’t Believe the Lies: Five Facts to Consider as the UN’s COP27 Comes to a Close

Union of Concerned Scientists

Union of Concerned Scientists’ (UCS) research shows that top fossil fuel producers’ emissions are responsible for as much as half of global surface temperature increase. Updated analysis from 2020 shows that emissions traced to the 88 largest carbon producers contributed approximately 60 percent?of

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Ask a Scientist: Two Dozen States Can Meet 100 Percent of Electricity Demand with Renewables by 2035

Union of Concerned Scientists

The shift from fossil fuels in the 100-percent RES scenario reduces the amount of toxic power plant air pollution much more than what we called a “no-new-policy,” or business-as-usual, scenario. Emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from power plants in alliance states drop 88 percent and 77 percent respectively by 2040.

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Hydrogen and “Renewable” Gas Aren’t Realistic Solutions for Decarbonizing Maine’s Buildings

Union of Concerned Scientists

This included a bill that would have started a statewide conversation about the diminished role fossil fuels should play in Maine’s energy system as the state strives to meet its climate and clean energy commitments. Gas is primarily composed of methane—a fossil fuel with extremely high global warming potential.

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A 100% Renewable Energy Future is Possible, and We Need It

Union of Concerned Scientists

The shift from fossil fuels in the 100% RES scenario reduces the amount of harmful air pollution from power plants much more than in our “No New Policy”/business-as-usual scenario. Just as important, cleaning up the power grid can also decrease carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions. And our modeling shows renewables’ power.

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Has Gasoline Use in California Peaked?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Switching from fossil fuels like gasoline to increasingly clean electricity sources is vital for hitting climate and air pollution goals. Burning gasoline in an automobile produces carbon dioxide, the primary cause of climate change. pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per gallon.