U.S. Greenhouse Emissions Dropped Dramatically in 2008
The United States released 2.2 percent less greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere in 2008 compared to the preceding year, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Since 1990, U.S. GHG emissions have grown at an average annual rate of nearly one percent. Emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide decreased by 2.9 percent in 2008, having risen at an average annual rate of 1.0 percent per year from 1990 to 2007. The reasons for the falls in emissions last year included record-high oil prices and a decline in economic activity in three out of four quarters of the year. The 2.9-percent decline in 2008 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions reflects the combined effects of a 0.4-percent increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a 2.5-percent decrease in energy use per dollar of GDP, and a 0.8-percent decrease in carbon dioxide emissions per unit of energy.Oil-related emissions declined by 5.9 percent in 2008, accounting for the bulk of overall reduction in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.
In 2008, total U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were 7,053 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e).
- 5,839 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (82.8 percent of total emissions)
- 737 MMTCO2e of methane (10.5 percent of total emissions)
- 300 MMTCO2e of nitrous oxide (4.3 percent of total emissions)
- 175.6 MMTCO2e of HFCs, PFCs and SF6 (2.5 percent of total emissions)
Related articles by Zemanta
- Coal Warriors: Why U.S. Coal Producers Could Still Have a Bright Future (blogs.wsj.com)
- Emissions of CO2 Set for Best Drop in 40 Years (nytimes.com)
- India tells West to stop eating beef (telegraph.co.uk)
- Global emissions exceeding ‘carbon budget’, PwC study finds (guardian.co.uk)
