U.S. carbon emissions rise despite Obama climate plan
U.S. emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide have risen 6% in the last two years despite the Obama administration's efforts to curb global warming, federal data show.
Reversing several years of declines, its emissions from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) rose 2.7% during the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2013, and 6% compared to 2012, according to the Energy Information Administration's "Monthly Energy Review."
This increase is a setback for President Obama, who touted U.S. progress in cutting emissions at this week's historic U.N. Climate Summit in New York, attended by representative from more than 120 countries.
"Over the past eight years, the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution by more than any other nation on Earth," he said, adding the U.S. is on track to meet his 2009 pledge to cut carbon emissions 17% below 2005 levels by 2020.
Indeed, until 2013, the U.S. was well on its way toward meeting that goal. Its energy-related carbon emissions had fallen 13.4% from 2005 through 2012, according to the EIA data. But given increases in the last 18 months, that decline since 2005 now stands at 10.7%.
In his U.N. speech, Obama cited the U.S. surge in non-polluting energy sources such as wind and solar. While power generated by solar panels doubled during the first six months of this year compared to 2012 and that of wind turbines rose 31% in that two-year period, they remain a tiny share of U.S. energy production.
The EIA data, released this week, show that energy produced from coal has fallen slightly, replaced by an uptick in natural gas. The biggest change in fossil fuels, though, is the production of crude oil — up 31% during the first half of this year compared to 2012.
In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a 30% national cut in carbon emissions from existing power plants by 2030. It's seeking public comment on the rule, which targets coal-fired plants that are the biggest emitters, before finalizing it next year.
"States are participating very heavily ... the discussions are going well," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy told reporters Friday, adding they have flexibility in how to meet their individual reduction targets.
The coal industry and some members of Congress oppose the EPA plan, saying it will hike U.S. electricity bills.
The U.S., the world's second-largest carbon emitter, is not alone in reporting a hike in emissions. Global emissions rose 2.3% last year, driven largely by a 4.2% increase in China, the biggest emitter, and a 5.1% jump in India, the third-largest one, according to the tracking initiative known as the Global Carbon Project.
"The growth in U.S. CO2 emissions is a clear wake-up call that much more needs to be done to accelerate the continued growth of renewable energy sources, as well as improved energy efficiency, if the nation is to successfully address climate change," said Ken Bossong, executive director of the SUN DAY campaign, a non-profit research group that promotes renewable power.
The biggest U.S. emissions increase occurred in homes followed by the commercial sector. As the nation's cars and light trucks become more fuel-efficient, emissions from transportation held steady.
U.N. member countries have agreed that, to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change, they need to keep global average temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. To do that, emissions will have to start plummeting soon.
If they continue on their current path, scientists estimate that global temperatures could rise between 5.8 degrees and 9.7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century.