U.S. CO2 Emissions Rising, But Reduction Progress Continues

WASHINGTON, DC – A sombering report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) outlines that energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States rose last year by almost 3 percent in the previous year. Higher natural gas-related emissions resulting from more extreme summer and winter weather and growth in transportation were cited as the primary reasons for the increase. Still, energy-related CO2 emissions have been declining in six of the past ten years and are 12 percent lower now than in 2005. EIA also points to an economy that has grown by 25 percent while energy consumption has grown by just 1 percent. Economic growth in 2018 was 29 percent less carbon-intensive than in 2005, and the overall energy consumption in the U.S. was 13 percent less carbon-intensive.