CO2 emissions dropped 1.7 % in the US in 2016

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the US dropped 1.7 per cent in 2016 due largely to significant decreases in coal use, according to the Energy Information Administration.

That 1.7 per cent is less than the 2.7 per cent drop seen over 2015, the agency said. Domestic consumption of, and emissions from, natural gas and oil each rose about 1 percent last year, while coal use dropped 8.6 per cent, the EIA reported.

The CO₂ emissions reductions were primarily realised in the electric sector, which lowered its emissions last year by 4.9 per cent. A simultaneous 1.9 per cent increase in emissions from transportation meant that sector overtook electricity production as the top emitter for the first time. Overall the US economy’s carbon intensity, a comparison of emissions and gross domestic product, decreased 3.3 per cent in 2016, compared with a 5.3 per cent decrease in 2015, according to EIA.

Source: Politico, April 2017
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=30712