U.S. greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 2.1% last year, propelled in large part by a record 18% reduction in coal-fired power generation, according to a preliminary report released by the Rhodium Group on Tuesday.
Some of the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions was offset by a rise in natural gas generation, although power sector emissions overall still fell by nearly 10%,
However, the study showed that other sectors had less progress, with emissions from sectors such as buildings going up 2.2% and from industry increasing 0.6%.
The study emphasized that most of the nation’s success in reducing carbonization is limited to the 27% of emissions from the power sector and urged the Trump administration to bolster "low-cost" technology solutions.
“The industrial, agriculture, and waste sectors remain largely untouched, either by policy or technology innovation,” according to the study. “Industry is now a larger source of emissions than coal-fired power generation, and growing. There are low-cost technology solutions to reduce oil and gas methane emissions, but their deployment at scale requires strengthening regulations that the Trump administration instead has been weakening.”
The research showed that the U.S., at 12% below 2005 levels, is unlikely to make its Copenhagen Accord target of 17% by the end of this year and is far off from achieving its Paris Agreement pledge of a 26%-28% reduction by 2025.
The Hill pointed out that the danger of missing these goals is even more so, since President Donald Trump last year started to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, which he has criticized as leading to the elimination of jobs.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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