State on course to meet its greenhouse gas goals

  • 2023-03-23
It looks like Minnesota is well on its way to fulfilling its reduction goals for greenhouse gases (GHG) per the state’s biennial Greenhouse Gas inventory report, which was conducted by the commerce department and the state’s pollution control agency.

It appears that a reduction of 23% in GHG emissions from 2005 to 2020 has taken place. Should this trend continue, the state will be able to reach its target of a 30% reduction by 2025.

Communities throughout Minnesota, including Princeton, can use this information in the promotional materials they send to Print shops to entice new residents and businesses.

Minnesota’s three main GHG releasers are agriculture, electric generation, and transportation. The gases released by electric generation has gone down by 54% while transportation emissions have been reduced by 18%. Agriculture, however, has lagged behind.

Ann Mulholland of The Nature Conservancy said:

"There's a real opportunity and a real interest on the part of farmers to really think about their soils as a way of capturing carbon and preventing greenhouse gas emissions."

Mulholland went on to explain that the planting of cover crops to keep the soil covered throughout the year would prevent carbon from being released from the soil into the atmosphere. Planting more trees will also remove carbon from the air.

According to The Nature Conservancy, the use of cover cropping along with reforestation are the two most GHG-reducing actions the state can take to reach its goal.
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