CRCJ’s advocacy prompted the creation of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change, also known as the GC3 in 2015, and our organizing helped secure the GC3’s recommendation for a more aggressive emissions reduction target.
On September 3, 2019, Governor Ned Lamont issued Executive Order No. 3, expanding the membership and responsibilities of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change.
OBJECTIVES
Monitor and report on the state’s implementation of the greenhouse gas emissions reduction strategies set forth in the GC3’s December 2018 report Building a Low Carbon Future for Connecticut: Achieving a 45% GHG Reduction by 2030.
Develop and implement adaptation strategies to assess and prepare for the impacts of climate change in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, natural resources, and public health.
In May 2018, the Connecticut General Assembly reaffirmed the state’s long history of bipartisan leadership on climate when large majorities in both the House and Senate passed landmark climate and energy legislation.
Connecticut now has one of the most aggressive interim targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (45% below 2001 levels by 2030) and a comparably ambitious target for renewable energy (40% by 2030).
These new legislative mandates grew out of the work of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change (GC3) established by Governor Malloy in April 2015, following the Roundtable’s campaign to reinvigorate the state’s climate change action planning process.
The Governor charged the GC3 with establishing interim targets and a plan to achieve the long-term goal of an 80% reduction in emissions below 2001 levels by 2050. In 2016 and 2017, the Roundtable coordinated a series of multi-site stakeholder events to build support for and engagement in the GC3’s efforts.
The GC3 outlined its recommended set of strategies for achieving the new 2030 mandate in a report released in December 2018.
CRCJ’s Executive Director has served on the GC3 since 2015. The GC3’s membership includes 23 members from state agencies, quasi-public agencies, businesses, local governments, and nonprofits.
Interested in getting involved? Email [email protected] to ask about joining a GC3 Subcommittee or Working Group
News Article: “Malloy inks climate change, renewable energy bills” (Hartford Business Journal, jun 2018)
Op-Ed: “Clean Energy Strategy Must Map Way To Climate Goal” [PDF] (Courant, Sep 2015)
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