Carbon dioxide emissions drop in 2008

Carbon dioxide emissions drop in 2008

Yahoo News, May 21, 2009

WASHINGTON – There is a positive note to the country’s economic woes and last summer’s $4-per-gallon gasoline: The nation in 2008 had a record decline in the amount of climate-changing carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

The government reported Wednesday that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions declined by 2.8 percent last year compared to 2007, the largest annual drop since the government began regular reporting of greenhouse gas pollution.

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Emissions from the residential sector fell 1.2 percent. A colder winter caused more emissions in winter, but that was countered by a cooler summer that required less use of air conditioning, the EIA report said. Overall, electric power companies saw emissions decline 2.1 percent. While much of that drop was economy related, some was attributed to greater use of wind turbines for electricity production.

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