December 4, 2008

U.S. GHG Emissions Up 1.4% In 2007

U.S. GHG emissions increased by 1.4 percent last year, from 7.1 billion metric tons in 2006 to 7.2 billion metric tons in 2007, according a report by the Department of Energy, AP reports.

“Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in 2007” (PDF via DeSmogBlog), revealed that CO2 emissions rose by 1.3 percent in 2007 as people used more coal, oil, natural gas and electricity during a warmer summer. Coal-burning power plants generate half of America’s electricity.

The report found that 81 percent of all U.S. GHG emissions were related to energy usage in 2007 and that the main greenhouse gas, CO2, had risen continually since 1990 (except for a minor decline in 2006).

An Energy Information Administration report shows that U.S. greenhouse gases have increased 16.7 percent since 1990, or an average of 0.9 percent per year.

According to a report from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, China’s CO2 emissions are now estimated to be about 14 percent higher than those from the U.S., and the country tops the list of CO2 emitting countries, having about a quarter share in global CO2 emissions, followed by the U.S. with 21 percent, the EU-15 with 12 percent, India with eight percent and the Russian Federation with six percent.

Japan’s GHG emissions are also up, according to Japanese government data, the country’s total emissions are almost 10 percent above 1990 levels.

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