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Stamford Businesses Launch Effort To Drastically Cut Carbon Emissions

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- A massive effort was launched Thursday to reduce carbon emissions from most large businesses in Stamford.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, business owners are committing to drastically cutting emissions from office buildings by 2030.

The initiative, the first of its kind in New England, kicks off with a private grant, but eventually business owners themselves will pay for the carbon reduction. The city of Stamford, too, is on board.

Stamford Businesses Launch Effort To Drastically Cut Emissions

Joe McGee, vice president of public policy for the Business Council of Fairfield County, said the end result should be quite effective.

"Just to give you a fact, the largest cause of pollution in Connecticut is not from I-95 and cars," he told Schneidau. "Right now, it's from office buildings.

"They're older and they're not efficient, and in terms of percentage, they're worse than what you get from air pollution off the highway."

McGee said business and city leaders realize climate change is real. Sea levels are rising, and the consequences, he said, could have a dramatic impact in Connecticut, where so many office and apartment buildings are on or near the water.

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