Rhode Island is at risk of missing its climate targets, according to a new greenhouse gas inventory that found the state’s 2023 emissions rose above pre-pandemic levels.
Rhode Island’s emissions ticked up 1.4 percent two years ago, says an updated inventory published Friday by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
The transportation sector was the main cause of 2023’s increase, with DEP reporting a bump in vehicle miles traveled, while building emissions fell and electricity emissions remained flat.
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The findings point to a herky-jerky trend in Rhode Island’s emissions: 2023’s emissions were 5.4 percent lower than 2018’s, but 1.5 percent higher than 2019’s. (The DEP attributes that to 2019’s mild winter.)
