Consequence Analysis of the Draft Portfolio of Climate Strategies and Actions

The Louisiana Climate Initiatives Task Force (Task Force) was established by Governor John Bel Edwards in August 2020 through Executive Order JBE 2020-18, which committed the state to reducing the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero GHG emissions by 2050. The EO sets intermediate goals of reducing GHG emissions by 26-28 percent of 2005 levels by 2025 and by 40-50 percent of 2005 levels by 2030, and it also seeks to achieve these goals while improving the health and welfare of the people of Louisiana and advancing Louisiana’s economic and energy profile. As part of that effort, the Water Institute of the Gulf helped facilitate a collaborative planning process of the Task Force that included two consequence analyses to evaluate the impact of potential policies, strategies, and actions on net GHG emissions as well as other goals identified by the Task Force related to quality of life, equity, economy, and the environment. The purpose of the consequence analysis described herein was to evaluate the GHG reduction potential of a draft portfolio of climate strategies and actions, as well as to evaluate the impacts of that portfolio on the people, economy, and environment of Louisiana. These outcomes were evaluated a set of “Fundamental Objectives” (FOs; Table 1). FOs were developed by the Task Force to refine and improve the strategies and actions that would eventually comprise the Louisiana Climate Action Plan (Climate Initiatives Task Force, 2022).