CO2 emissions for 2015 drop 12 percent from 2005 levels
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced on Monday that U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were 12 percent lower than 2005 levels, primarily due to changes in the electric power sector and carbon-fuel consumption.
According to the EIA’s Monthly Energy Review, 2015 CO2 rates fell despite a spike in 2013 and 2014. The EIA projected that the decrease could be due to decreased use of coal consumption for fuel and an increase in natural gas electricity consumption.
Energy-related CO2 emissions are primarily reduced by decreasing the consumption of energy fuels, including natural gas, coal and petroleum. CO2 emissions can also be decreased by switching from carbon-intensive fuels to less carbon-intensive fuels, such as changing from coal-sourced fuel to nuclear fuel. As coal consumption has continued to fall steadily in the U.S., caused by an increase in natural gas consumption and other green fuels, CO2 emissions have fallen as a result.
According to the study, approximately 68 percent of total energy-related CO2 emission reductions between 2005 and 2015 have been fuel-use related. While a decrease in emissions was experienced in 2008-09 as the result of the recession, emission rates have continued to fall despite economic growth.
More energy efficient practices can also be attributed for the decrease in emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions on a per-dollar of gross domestic product (GDP) basis were 15 percent lower regarding energy per unit of GDP, and 23 percent lower compared to CO2 emissions per unit of GDP compared to 2005 levels.
