EIA - American Energy Consumption At All-Time High In 2018, 80% Of It Fossil

[hatrack]

The US Energy Information Administration dropped some troubling new data this week: US energy consumption hit a record high in 2018 in large part due to the growing use of fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels provided 80 percent of total energy used in 2018. Consumption of natural gas and petroleum grew by 4 percent, while coal consumption declined by 4 percent compared to the year before. Renewable energy production also reached a record high last year, climbing 3 percent relative to 2017.

he growth in energy use is largely a function of the growing US economy. More goods, more travel, more services mean using more fuel and electricity. However, that also means we are moving further away from our already limited ambitions in fighting climate change.

The EIA’s latest numbers starkly reveal where we are and just how far we have to go if we want to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century. And it follows a report from the Rhodium Group earlier this year that found that US greenhouse gas emissions rose 3.4 percent in 2018 compared to the year before, reversing a three-year decline in the production of heat-trapping gases that contribute to climate change.

EDIT

https://www.vox.com/2019/4/18/18412380/climate-change-2019-energy-natural-gas

[True Dough]

1. And it won't get any better under Trump!

We're in for another two years of gas growth both directly and indirectly from Trump.

[pscot]

2. It's not true

that a frog will stay in a warming pot until it boils to death. When the water starts to heat up the frog will climb out. Humans are the only creatures foolish enough to actually cook ourselves to death.