Wind turbines near high tension power lines in California. The United States reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 percent in 2006 in the fight against global warming, the first decline since 2001.(AFP/File/Lee Celano )
Posted on 11/28/2007 3:59:54 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States reduced greenhouse gas emissions in 2006 after four years of increases, the government said Wednesday ahead of a key United Nations meeting next week on climate change.
The Department of Energy (DoE) said greenhouse gas emissions in the world's biggest polluter fell by 1.5 percent in 2006, the first decline since 2001.
Measured against US economic growth of 2.9 percent last year, the department said greenhouse gas intensity fell by 4.2 percent, the largest yearly decline since 1990, its base year.
President George W. Bush welcomed the DoE report as confirmation of his administration's controversial policy of opposing strict international limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
"This puts us well ahead of the goal I set in 2002 to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent by 2012," Bush said.
"Our guiding principle is clear: we must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth or prevent nations from delivering greater prosperity for their people."
The revived US headway in the battle against global warming came as the Bush administration prepares for the UN meeting on climate change that opens Monday in Bali, Indonesia.
International delegations will be meeting through December 14 on the island resort to discuss an agenda for future talks on an agreement that would eventually replace the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which expires in 2012.
The Bush administration argues for voluntary measures, new technologies and increased efforts to persuade fast-developing countries like China and India to do their share of regulating greenhouse gases.
According to the DoE's report, the US pumped 7.076 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere last year.
The 2006 decline was only the third reduction in annual emissions since 1990, the department said. Since then, emissions of the heat-trapping gases have increased at an average annual pace of 0.9 percent.
Emissions of carbon dioxide from energy consumption and industrial processes fell by 1.8 percent in 2006, after rising at an average pace of 1.2 percent per year from 1990 to 2005.
"Favorable weather patterns, where both heating and cooling degree-days were lower in 2006 than 2005, and higher energy prices, were the primary causes of lower total energy consumption," the DoE said.
The second-largest emissions decliner were man-made gases with high global warming potentials, or "high-GWP gases," which fell by 2.2 percent.
Methane emissions dropped by 0.4 percent, while nitrous oxide emissions rose by 2.9 percent.
The DoE explained the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions was due to a 0.5 percent decline in overall energy demand and a decrease in the carbon intensity of electricity generation, driven by increased use of natural gas and greater reliance on on non-fossil fuel energy sources.
The Sierra Club, an environmental group critical of the Bush administration's climate policy, pointed to the role of weather in the improved performance.
"It would not be a good idea to put your bets on the weather as a way of reducing emissions," Josh Dorner, a Sierra Club spokesman, told AFP.
Wind turbines near high tension power lines in California. The United States reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 percent in 2006 in the fight against global warming, the first decline since 2001.(AFP/File/Lee Celano )
A snowy owl is seen at Shirotori zoo in Higashikagawa, southwestern Japan May 11, 2007. More than a quarter of all U.S. bird species are vulnerable to extinction, according to a comprehensive list compiled by two conservation groups released on Wednesday. Global warming may be partially to blame. (Yuriko Nakao/Reuters)
“US cuts greenhouse-gas emissions in 2006
(fell by 1.5 percent, the first decline since 2001)”
And we didn’t need to fly to Bali to get it done.
Imagine that!
Not Enough Parking for Private Jets Going to UN Climate Conference [seriously]
Newsbusters ^ | Nov 23 2007 | Noel Sheppard
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929778/posts
~~ AGW™ ping~~
Algore, where is thy sting?
*crickets*
Shouldn’t this read:
Wind turbines at 20% capacity in California.
“US cuts greenhouse-gas emissions in 2006”
Due to pollution laws and regulations, and modernizations, that have nothing to do with GHGs.
But ironic anyway.
So If Florida and Kansas had not nixed the plans for the latest generation of coal power plants they would have been in the lead for clean power.
So how did all of the sanctimonious Kyoto signators do? You’d think an AFP article would mention something like that, wouldn’t you?
Yep--and if energy prices continue to stay high or go even higher--I wouldn't be surprised if the # continues to drop as people look for better efficiency.
Would love to read the article, but I need to dump my used motor oil in the stream out back.
Another upcoming scam is “CO2 sequestration”. Because any new coal plants in a lot of areas of the US, to be built, will have to cut pollution, one option thought up was sequestration underground. They’ll claim carbon credits for something they already have to do.
“The Sierra Club, an environmental group critical of the Bush administration’s climate policy, pointed to the role of weather in the improved performance.”
DUE TO WEATHER!
THE SIERRA CLUB SAID IT WAS DUE TO WEATHER! DO THEY MEAN THAT THE CO2 DROP IS DO TO WEATHER (Climate Conditions)!
ARE THEY SAYING SINCE GLOBAL COOLING HAS TAKEN PLACE IN 1998 THAT CO2 HAS FINALY DECREASE?
AL WILL BE FURIOUS!
WE ALL KNOW THAT CO2 DRIVES THE CLIMATE.
That’s progress. Then again, India and China wiped out that decrease probably by a factor of ten or so.
Are we still all gonna die in 10 years?/s/
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