US Carbon Emissions Down 7.7% Since 2006 - Too Bad About the Rest Of The Planet

[hatrack]

ATLANTA, Georgia, Jun 30 2012 (IPS) - According to a recent report by the International Energy Agency, the U.S. has seen the greatest reduction in carbon dioxide pollution within the past six years in comparison to any other country, even as global carbon dioxide pollution has reached record highs.

“CO2 emissions in the United States in 2011 fell by 92 Mt (million tonnes), or 1.7%, primarily due to ongoing switching from coal to natural gas in power generation and an exceptionally mild winter, which reduced the demand for space heating,” the IEA writes on its website.

“US emissions have now fallen by 430 Mt (7.7%) since 2006, the largest reduction of all countries or regions. This development has arisen from lower oil use in the transport sector (linked to efficiency improvements, higher oil prices and the economic downturn which has cut vehicle miles travelled) and a substantial shift from coal to gas in the power sector,” the IEA states.

It is enough to give people some hope that perhaps humanity will not continue to send the environment into a doomsday scenario, Bruce Niles, director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, said. “Obviously, for years, we found ourselves in the U.S. being the largest contributor to global warming, and seemingly ever-increasing emissions. The biggest part of the problem was continuing to get worse,” Niles told IPS.

EDIT

http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/06/u-s-sees-greatest-reduction-in-co2-emissions/

[NickB79]

1. Does the IEA take into account the higher methane release of fracked natural gas?

You know, the releases that make fracked gas WORSE THAN COAL!

http://inhabitat.com/updated-cornell-study-shows-fracking-causes-more-global-warming-than-coal/

But a new study from Cornell reports that the natural gas extraction technique may be more harmful than even coal when it comes to global warming. The research team has updated their controversial findings with fresh data to support the conclusion that fracking in a major source of released methane. The study looks at how much gas is released into the atmosphere, revealing a significant jump in atmospheric methane. Methane, as compared to CO2, has the potential to trap over 100 times more heat over the course of ten years, making fracking one of the most environmentally destructive ways to source energy.