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PHOENIX — The amount of carbon dioxide emissions in Arizona has grown at about the same rate as population since 1990, a new study finds.

Carbon emissions increased by 54 percent between 1990 and 2004, according to a report by Environment Arizona, a group that advocates environmental protection. During the same period, Arizona's population grew by nearly 60 percent.

A coalition of environmentalists called Thursday for state lawmakers to reduce emissions over the next two decades, a move they say would provide savings to consumers.

"Global warming is skyrocketing in Arizona," said Eric Magnuson, spokesman for Environment Arizona, during a news conference at the state Capitol. "Just as scientists are sounding the alarm that we must rapidly reduce population to protect future generations, the (report) is a wake-up call to cap population before it is too late."

The study, which analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Energy, rated states by carbon emissions, labeling Arizona seventh nationwide for the largest increase in carbon dioxide emissions during the 15-year period. Texas, Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia and Missouri had larger increases.

But Magnuson said his group is not proposing housing caps in Arizona — now the fastest-growing state in the country. Instead it wants to utilize growth to make the state cleaner, through fuel-efficiency standards and energy conservation.

"We have the opportunity to start using that growth to make sure that we can start transitioning away from the fossil fuel sources of energy that cost us money to grow as a state," he said. "We're not going to say that people can't move to our great state."

Senate President Tim Bee, a Tucson Republican, said he opposes government regulations that would require cars sold in Arizona to meet certain fuel-efficiency standards. He said cars aren't the only problem.

"There are a lot of contributing factors to the air pollution here; obviously vehicles are a huge part of it," he said. "One of the ways to address that is to build more lanes on the freeway and get the cars moving instead of having them sit for hours idle, pumping pollution into the air."

Bee, who said he's not convinced global warming exists, wants the issue dealt with in the free market.

"As far as dictating to individuals what type of vehicles they should buy, they should be free to make those choices," he said.

But the group advocating Thursday for changes — which included representatives from the Sierra Club and Republicans for Environmental Protection — said government has an obligation to get the ball rolling. And subsidies for alternative energy are one way to get more Arizonans onboard.

"Until the subsidies for oil, coal and natural gas are diminished to the point where we truly do have a free market for energy, we're going to need those subsidies," said Michael Neary, president of Desert Sun Solar, a solar energy company.