[Date Prev][Date Next]
[Chronological]
[Thread]
[Archive Top]
[cdn-nucl-l] FW: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decrease by 1.2 Percent in 2001 - L argest Decline in the 1990 to 2001 Time Period
Posted on the US DOE Energy Information Administration news list on January
2, 2003, and at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec_h.pdf
US (note: not in Kyoto) GHG emissions decrease by 1.2% in 2001. Canadian
(note: in Kyoto) GHG emissions going up by double digit percentages every
year... (see http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/whatsnew1_e.cfm)
Adam
------------------
****** ****** ** *************************************
** ** * * *** U.S. Department of Energy **
**** ** ****** * Energy Information Administration *
** ** ** ** *** To unsubscribe/change address, **
****** ****** ** ** ***** see the message footnotes *****
*************************************
EIA, the Nation's clearinghouse for energy statistics. ***********
******************************************************************
(NOTE: To best view this document, your email software should
be set to view the item in an 80 character format, using a
"non-proportional" font, e.g. courier)
******************************************************************
Energy Information Administration
EIA Reports
U.S. Department of Energy
Washington, DC 20585
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 20, 2002
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Decrease by 1.2 Percent in 2001 - Largest
Decline in the 1990 to 2001 Time Period
Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, led by the decrease in carbon dioxide,
fell by 1.2 percent in 2001, from 1,907 million metric tons of carbon
equivalent (MMTCe) in 2000 to 1,883 MMTCe in 2001 (-23.7 MMTCe), according
to Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2001, a report
released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). (See Figure
1.) The 2001 decline of 1.2 percent is in contrast to the average annual
growth rate of 1.3 percent observed from 1990 to 2000, and was enough to
reduce the growth from 1990 to 2001 to an average of 1.0 percent per year.
The 1.2-percent decline in total greenhouse emissions in 2001 is the largest
decrease for the 1990 to 2001 period, and twice the level of the only other
decrease in total emissions for the time period, which was the 0.6 percent
decline in 1991.
Estimated emissions of carbon dioxide in the United States and its
territories, which account for more than 80 percent of total U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions, decreased by 1.1 percent in 2001, from 1,597 million metric
tons of carbon equivalent (MMTCe) in 2000 to 1,579 MMTCe in 2001. The
decline in carbon dioxide emissions of 1.1 percent was the largest annual
decline of the 1990 to 2001 period. A 0.8-percent decline in 1991 was the
only other annual decrease in carbon dioxide emissions during the period.
Energy- related carbon dioxide emissions, which account for 98 percent of
total carbon dioxide emissions, stood at 1,547 MMTCe, while carbon dioxide
emissions from other sources were 32 MMTCe in 2001.
The decline in carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to a combination
of the following factors: a reduction in economic growth from 3.8 percent in
2000 to 0.3 percent in 2001; a 4.4-percent reduction in manufacturing output
that lowered industrial emissions; warmer winter weather that decreased the
demand for heating fuels; and a drop in electricity demand that reduced the
growth in emissions from electricity generation. The drop in electricity
demand can be attributed primarily to the slowing economy and the downturn
in manufacturing. These economic factors were enough to more than
compensate for the warmer summer that increased air-conditioning demand and
related electricity consumption.
As indicated in Figure 2, total estimated U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in
2001 consisted of 1,579 MMTCe of carbon dioxide (84 percent of total
emissions), 176 MMTCe of methane (9 percent of total emissions), 98 MMTCe of
nitrous oxide (5 percent of total emissions), and 31 MMTCe of
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorcarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride
(SF6) (2 percent of total emissions). Detailed information by greenhouse
gas includes the following:
+ Estimated methane emissions, the second largest contributor after
carbon dioxide to total greenhouse emissions, declined by 1.1
percent, from 178 MMTCe in 2000 to 176 MMTCe in 2001. Since 1990,
U.S. methane emissions have declined by 11.6 percent.
+ Estimated nitrous oxide emissions in 2001 fell by 1.0 percent, from
98 MMTCe in 2000 to 97 MMTCe in 2001. Nitrous oxide emissions have
grown by 3.2 percent since 1990.
+ Emissions of human-made gases such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexaflouride experienced a 7.7-
percent decrease (from 34 to 31 MMTCe) between 2000 and 2001.
However, these gases as a group have grown by 24.0 percent since
1990.
The report also contains estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from energy
consumption, including emissions from purchased electric power, on a
sectoral level:
+ Transportation-related carbon dioxide emissions, which account for
about a third of the total carbon dioxide emissions from energy
consumption, increased by 0.8 percent in 2001 to 512 MMTCe, as
year-end travel disruptions and a slowing economy dampened growth.
+ Carbon dioxide emissions in the residential sector decreased by
1.0 percent to 314 MMTCe, while emissions in the commercial sector
rose by 1.9 percent to 280 MMTCe in 2001. A warm winter dampened
heating demand in both sectors, but the economic growth that did
occur was focused primarily in the service sector of the economy and
was therefore reflected in commercial sector activity.
+ In large part due to slowing GDP growth (0.3 percent), energy-
related industrial carbon dioxide emissions in 2001 declined by 5.4
percent to 452 MMTCe. Particularly hard hit was the manufacturing
sector which declined by 4.4 percent in total output, and specific
industries such as Primary Metals, where output declined by 11.4
percent.
+ Carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. electric power sector in 2001,
which are included in the sectoral totals above, are estimated at 612
million metric tons carbon equivalent, 1.5 percent below the 2000
level.
EIA has restructured the underlying data upon which emission estimates for
the electric power sector and other sectors are based. As a result of the
data revisions, emissions are about 1 percent higher from 1990 to 2000 as
compared to last year's report (See Figure 3.). This change is principally
due to changes in the natural gas consumption data. For further information
see:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/aer/pdf/pages/sec_h.pdf.
Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2001 was prepared by EIA
pursuant to section 1605(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. EIA is an
independent, policy-neutral agency within the Department of Energy that is
responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information.
An electronic version of the full report is available on EIA=s Web site
at: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/pdf/ggrpt/057301.pdf.
Printed copies of the Executive Summary of the report will be available in
January from the U.S. Government Printing Office, 202/512-1800 or through
EIA's National Energy Information Center, 202/586-8800.
______________________________________________________________________
The report described in this press release was prepared by the Energy
Information Administration, the independent statistical and analytical
agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The information contained in
the report and the press release should be attributed to the Energy
Information Administration and should not be construed as advocating or
reflecting any policy position of the Department of Energy or any other
organization.
______________________________________________________________________
EIA Program Contacts: Paul McArdle, 202/586-4445;
Perry Lindstrom, 202/586-0934
EIA Press Contact: National Energy Information Center, 202/586-8800
EIA-2002-17