Green Policies Damage Economy, Have ‘No Impact on the Climate’: Witnesses at PA House Hearing

Kevin Dayaratna (L), senior research fellow for the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation, testifies about the effect of carbon dioxide emissions on the climate at a hearing of the Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee in Harrisburg, Pa., on Oct. 24, 2022. Courtesy of PA House Republican Photography

The Pennsylvania House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a contentious hearing on Monday, titled “Fossil Fuels: Driving America’s Economy and Quality of Life.”

As the legislative session winds down, it is common for committees to hold informational hearings on pet issues that may set the tone for the next session. No specific legislation was attached to the conversation, but Committee Chair Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican, has vowed to get Pennsylvania out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a 12-state cap and trade program for energy producers.

No Benefit to Net Zero

Much of the conversation in the hearing centered on the United Nations initiative to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 by cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions reabsorbed from the atmosphere by oceans and forests.

This “Race to Zero” requires global emissions be cut in half by 2030.

This means, among other changes, that consumers would need to switch to electric cars and avoid fossil fuels in home heating.

“What happens if you eliminate CO2 emissions from the United States completely, starting now?” asked Kevin Dayaratna, senior research fellow at the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation. Analysis using federal data shows less than 0.2 degrees Celsius temperature mitigation by the end of the century, Dayaratna testified about his research.

If just Pennsylvania eliminated fossil fuels, by 2100, there would be 0.083 degrees Celsius temperature mitigation, not enough movement to be seen on a thermometer, Dayaratna said.

“The conclusion is, lawmakers should avoid carbon taxes and carbon capture related policies, because they will have significant economic costs and negligible environmental impact,” Dayaratna said. “We encourage you to employ cost benefit analysis as was done here.”

Democrat Rep. Greg Vitali asked each testifier if they were “climate deniers.”

“So often over the years, I come to these hearings and the pattern is the same,” Vitali said to Dayaratna. “People like you never acknowledge the seriousness of climate change, and never propose any solution. What are you proposing to do? How are you proposing to get us to climate neutrality? Are you a climate denier? Do you acknowledge the reality of climate change?”

Dayaratna said the climate has been changing for over 4.5 billion years and climate change may be beneficial because life expectancy and personal income has increased over the years.

“If you’re a realist, you would realize that these policies would have no impact on the climate whatsoever,” Dayaratna said. “The bottom line is, China and India, their emissions are going to be nothing but business as usual. There’s nothing that the United States is going to do alone to mitigate the effects of CO2 emissions. Let’s export things like natural gas abroad to China and India and see what impact that would have on CO2 emissions.”

Fossil Fuels Are ‘Treasures to Be Valued’

Fossil fuels are good for the environment, said Greg Wrightstone, executive director of the CO2 Coalition, in his testimony.

Carbon dioxide emitted by burning fossil fuels has been a major contributor to the overall greening of the earth, Wrightstone said. Farm machinery, pesticides, and fertilizers derived from carbons have enhanced agricultural productivity and fuel by coal, and natural gas lowers demand for many metals and minerals.

Carbon dioxide stimulates plant growth, and there is an increase in tree cover in Pennsylvania, the United States, and globally, Wrightstone said.

“We don’t see deforestation, we see reforestation,” he said.

Global tree cover has increased by 2.2 million square km (1.4 million square miles), Wrightstone said. Greening is occurring in the Arctic areas and the Sahara Desert is shrinking, with 200,000 square km (124,000 square miles) of former desert in the southern Sahara now turning into a lush grassland with increased agricultural productivity, he said.

“Pennsylvania’s amount of standing timber has increased five-fold since 1955,” Wrightstone said. “Fossil fuels are treasures to be valued and used for the benefit of humanity. Their demonization is irrational and destructive to our society. Coal and oil fueled the Industrial Revolution, which gave us unprecedented prosperity and health. Natural gas promised to raise billions of people in developing countries from poverty and deprivation. In short, we love CO2 and so should you.”

The CO2 Coalition has billboards on the Pennsylvania Turnpike showing a woman sleeping in bed. The billboards state, “Sleep Well ... There is No Climate Crisis.”

“There is no climate emergency, there is no climate crisis. We see modest warming and increased CO2 leading to gigantic benefits to our ecosystems and humanity. We should celebrate that,” Wrightstone said.

Vitali referenced reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations and the National Academy of Science.

“We’re seeing more extremes,” Vitali said. “More extreme hurricanes with greater intensity, more rainfall, more frequent droughts along with melting glaciers. … You’re saying CO2 is good and nothing needs to be done. You have to acknowledge that as a variance with the majority of climate scientists.”

Consensus has nothing to do with the scientific method, Wrightstone said.

This was Metcalfe’s final hearing. He retires at the end of the session.