It wasn’t a banner year, but CMC and its utility partners saved more than 292 million pounds of carbon dioxide (Co2) emissions in 2024. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere contributes to greenhouse gases (GHGs) that warm the planet. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50 percent in less than 200 years.
Our 2024 Co2 reduction is the equivalent of:
- Removing the greenhouse gas emissions from 30,915 cars for a year
- Eliminating 337,516,663 miles driven by passenger cars for a year
- Getting rid of the emissions needed for electricity for 27,620 homes for a year
- Stopping Co2 emissions from the power needed to charge 10,715,293,534 smart phones for a year. That’s right, 10 billion.
“We missed our aggressive goal to cut emissions by 350 million pounds of Co2, but this is still a significant contribution to curbing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Lisa Stotts, CMC President & CEO, who noted CMC will trim its goal for 2025 to cut emissions by 300 million pounds of Co2. “These efforts contribute directly to CMC’s vision of creating a more livable, equitable and sustainable planet for all.”
Cutting GHGs improves air quality, particularly in urban environments that can lead to premature deaths caused by asthma, cardiovascular diseases and lung cancer. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that outdoor air pollution could cause 6 to 9 million premature deaths a year by 2060 and cost 1 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP)—around $2.6 trillion annually.
“All we have to do is look at the increase in severe storms and the damage they cause, to see that global warming is a serious issue for us, for our children and our grandchildren,” Stotts said. “Every little decrease in GHGs we can make, can help limit the damage to our planet.”