CO2 emissions from energy use dropped in U.S. last year

May 21, 2009 - Scientific American

Carbon dioxide emissions went the way of the U.S. economy last year—which, in this case, is good news. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that U.S. emissions of the greenhouse gas dropped the most last year since at least 1990, when it began keeping tabs. The EIA says the overall 2.8 percent dip in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is likely linked to a combo of the slumping economy and high fuel prices.

ScientificAmerican.com in December reported a 2.3 percent worldwide increase in greenhouse gas emissions from 2000 to 2006 (the last year for which information was available from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). But perhaps a decline in CO2 emissions could become a convenient truth of a continued recession.

Graph of percent annual change in carbon dioxide emissions from energy courtesy of The U.S. Energy Information Administration