Traffic backs up on Interstate 195 West at Route 114 in East Providence at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. Transportation remains the biggest source of Rhode Island’s carbon emissions. (Rhode Island Department of Transportation Traffic Camera)
Rhode Island needs to put the pedal to the metal on its clean energy transition — while reducing its reliance on driving — if it wants to achieve its own decarbonization mandates, according to a new report by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM).
The 9.52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide produced from travel, buildings, and other human activity across Rhode Island in 2023 marks a 1.4% increase over 2022 level emissions, according to the 41-page analysis published Friday…