US CO2 output lower than predicted

The United States' energy-related emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2030 will be 9.4% less than forecast last year, Reuters reported. A more widespread use of renewable energy and lower demand for increasingly expensive energy have contributed to this drop, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the top US energy forecasting agency, said.
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In its 2008 outlook, the EIA predicted that energy-related CO2 emissions would hit 6.851 billion tonnes by 2030. But in its Annual Energy Outlook 2009, it has said that emissions will reach 6.410 billion tonnes.

 

"Efficiency policies and higher energy prices … slow the rise in US energy use," the EIA said. "When combined with the increased use of renewables and a reduction in the projected additions of new coal-fired conventional power plants, this slows the growth in energy-related (greenhouse-gas) emissions."

 

CO2 emissions from energy sources in 2007 were equal to about 81% of total US greenhouse-gas output. Last year, these emissions were approximately 5.92 billion tonnes, the EIA said. Other greenhouse gases, such as methane from farms and waste dumps, are also major contributors to global warming.

 

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