How much carbon do different regions in Indiana emit? One of our viewers was curious.
Gabriel Filippelli is the executive director of Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute. He said northwest Indiana tends to produce the most carbon emissions in the state.
“Our highest emissions region is northwest Indiana,” he said. “And that corridor has a lot of emissions from transportation and industry, as well as the high electricity demand that comes with steel production.”
Filippelli said one of the best solutions to combat these emissions would be to introduce “cleaner steel technology.” For example, one could try to use less coke – a fuel made from coal – in blast furnaces.
“I I know there is a lot of interest in what is known as clean steel technology,” he said. “That is, in producing steel that does not rely on coal and coke for energy production. These are both very environmentally harmful materials.”
READ MORE: Which Indiana communities are most vulnerable to climate change?
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Filippelli said forest areas tend to naturally absorb more carbon, resulting in lower net emissions.
“If you look at the southern part of the state, for example, the net emissions are pretty low,” Filippelli said. “The forested southern part of the state is busy sequestering some of the carbon. There are no really strong industrial sources until you go to areas like Evansville.”
Filippelli said global carbon dioxide emissions would also contribute to higher carbon dioxide emissions in the state and local areas.
Violet is our daily news reporter. You can reach her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter at @ComberWilen.
