Recession Takes a Bite Out of U.S. GHG Emissions
The 2008 greenhouse gas emissions report from the Energy Department provides further fodder to the power of a recession. Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2008 fell by 2.2 percent from 2007 to 7.053 billion metric tons, according to a U.S. Energy Information Administration report released Thursday afternoon. That’s a remarkable change from what has been occurring in the United States for nearly two decades. Total GHG emissions grew at an average annual rate of 0.7 percent every year since 1990. That is until 2008 came along. The decrease in total emissions was largely the result of a drop in carbon dioxide emissions, the report said. And the cause was three-fold: higher energy prices, which led to drop in petroleum use; lower demand for electricity; and…
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