Transportation Emissions Drop by 5.2% in 2008

June 1, 2009

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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that CO2 emissions from U.S. transportation dropped 5.2 percent in 2008, the largest annual decline since 1990. EIA says motor gasoline accounts for 58.7 percent of the transportation-related CO2 emissions followed by diesel fuel, which accounts for 23.2 percent of the sector’s emissions.

The report also indicates that transportation-related CO2 emissions overtook industrial emissions as the largest source of energy-related CO2 in 1999. Since 1990, industrial emissions have declined 0.3 percent per year while transportation emissions have grown 1.1 percent per year, according to the report.

By mid-year 2008, oil consumption in transportation was running 100 to 200 trillion Btu per month lower than the previous two years due to higher gasoline and diesel prices. Transportation petroleum consumption was down by 1,434 trillion Btu in 2008 as compared to 2007.

In 2008, energy-related CO2 emissions declined by 2.8 percent, while total energy consumption fell by 2.2 percent.

To help reduce transportation-related emissions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched its SmartWay Program in 2004 in collaboration with the freight industry. Created to help increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases and air pollution, the program’s goals are to lower carbon dioxide emissions by 33 to 66 million metric tons and up to 200,000 tons of nitrogen oxide annually by 2012.

Yokohama Tire Corp. is one of the most recent companies to join the EPA SmartWay Partner program. Yokohama earned partnership status in the shippers category, which means that the company ships more than 50 percent of its products on SmartWay-certified transport carriers.

This is the second SmartWay recognition Yokohama has earned in 2009. In January, the Fullerton, California-based tire manufacturer had three of its
commercial truck tires — the RY617 steer tire, 703ZL drive tire and RY587MC2 trailer tire — verified as low rolling resistance tires. The company says these tires run cooler, helping reduce fuel consumption.

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Reader Comments

EPA’s SmartWay program has been successful in reducing emissions from freight transportation. Even further emissions reductions could be realized with the greater use of clean diesel technology in our passenger cars.

According to a recently released report by the United Kingdom’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the average CO2 emissions from new UK cars has fallen 13.1% at the same time that diesel penetration has risen roughly the same percent, from 26.5% to 40.2%.

With President Obama’s newly announced fuel economy standards, autmobile manufacturers could be looking to speed their introduction of diesel vehicles in the U.S., as has been recently reported about Subaru’s Outback. In this way, transportation CO2 reductions could be fast-tracked until other electric and other alternatively powered vehicles become commercially available.

Dawn Fenton | June 1st, 2009

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