 Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. fell 7 percent in 2009, according to a report released last week by the Energy Information Administration. The drop represents the largest fall since the EIA began tracking the data in 1949.
Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions account for about 81 percent of the CO2 emissions in the U.S., with most originating from the burning of fossil fuels, particularly petroleum and coal, and smaller quantities from non-fuel use of fossil fuels, as well as from electricity generation using geothermal energy and non-biomass waste. Click here to read the EIA’s Emissions of Greenhouse Gasses Report.
Source: Energy Information Administration
As seen in the chart above, the U.S. carbon footprint has shrunk in three of the last four years. However, the recent plunge was due in particular to the severe economic downturn in 2008.
Other factors were also at work. The EIA reports that changes in carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to four major factors: population, per capita GDP, energy intensity of the economy, and carbon intensity of the energy supply (see chart below). All of these fell in 2009 except for population. According to the report, "The downturn of the economy caused per capita GDP to fall (3.3 percent) resulting in a total GDP decline of 2.4 percent. Energy intensity and the carbon intensity of the energy supply also fell more than 2 percent. These three factors (GDP, energy intensity, and carbon intensity) combined in roughly equal proportions to cause emissions to fall by 7 percent."
Source: Energy Information Administration
Also, the EIA report says in 2009 more electricity came from natural gas than coal, and the amount from renewable energy sources, namely wind, dramatically increased.
Nuclear energy has also played a minor role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. No new nuclear power plants have been built in recent years; however, higher utilization of existing capacity has meant increases in nuclear generation as compared to 2000.
The report comes as the U.S. Senate is gearing up to consider a possible climate bill that would require a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. According to Bloomberg Business Week, President Obama’s budget plan includes a “cap-and-refund” proposal that will put strict regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and make large companies pay for the right to pollute. The point of the carbon cap is to increase the price of fossil-fuel based energy and encourage new technologies.
The House passed a similar bill last year known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), an energy bill that would establish a variant of a cap-and-trade plan for greenhouse gases to combat global warming, create jobs, and help end our dependence on foreign oil. The bill was approved by the House of Representatives on June 26, 2009 by a vote of 219-212, and is still in consideration in the Senate. Click here to read the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 Discussion Draft Full Text.
California also passed a similar bill in 2006 known as the Global Warming Solutions Act, or Assembly Bill 32, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Click here to read a brief overview of AB 32.
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