U.S. Energy-Related CO2 Hits 20-Year Low

According to a report from the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), the emission of carbon dioxide from American energy consumption in the first quarter of 2012 was its lowest in two decades. The first quarter of 2012 saw CO2 emissions of 1,340 million metric tons from energy consumption, an 8% drop from last year and the lowest first quarter total since 1992. Typically, first quarter emissions represent the year’s high-water mark.

While EIA attributes the drop in carbon dioxide to a combination of a mild winter, low natural gas prices, and reduced demand for gasoline, it is impossible to overlook the impact of EPA regulations forcing the closure of coal-fired power plants nationwide. Last week, PACE reported that EPA rule-making would contribute to the shutdown of 9 gigawatts of power capacity in 2012 alone and shutter a total of 27 gigawatts of capacity within the next five years.

“To listen to the rhetoric from groups calling for carbon taxes and other drastic measures, you would never believe that we’re at a 20-year low for CO2 emissions,” explained PACE Executive Director Lance Brown. “Unfortunately, we’ve arrived there by shutting down power plants and having high gasoline prices. What is happening is more an indicator of economic stagnation than sound energy policy.”

Meanwhile, developing nations are ramping up their use of coal for electricity in an effort to electrify rural populations and keep up with burgeoning power demand. In India, where 400 million are today without power, the use of coal has increased 72% since 2008. In China, the industrial sector will increase coal-fired generation by 67% through 2035. Contrast that to the U.S., where first quarter CO2 emissions from coal, at 387 million metric tons, reached their lowest level since 1983.

“It is clear to anyone paying attention that carbon dioxide emission is an issue that is global in nature, and yet U.S. policy consistently implements strategies that we alone follow,” said Brown. “We are in the minority of nations creating a less robust, more expensive energy system while others gain competitive advantages.”