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Iowa air pollution increased in 2014

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At a time when the Paris Agreement has many talking about cutting climate-changing greenhouse gases, Iowa’s emissions are rising.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ draft 2014 greenhouse gas inventory shows that the state’s emissions grew by nearly 2.5 percent over the previous year. The DNR said that’s largely due to electricity production and use, and agriculture.

The fine print: Total gross emissions were 133.62 million metric tons based on carbon dioxide equivalents this year, up 3.22 million metric tons from 2013.

The state’s greenhouse gas emissions increased in every category except industrial processes and transportation, though they were 4.33 percent lower than the peak level in 2007.

The DNR’s required projections show the emissions continuing to rise through 2030. However, those figures don’t take into account Iowa utilities’ plans to install more wind power, and to shift some production from coal to natural gas, which would cut emissions significantly, the department noted.

Read the full draft reportSubmit any comments by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.