Tuesday, June 26, 2012

EIA: US CO2 emissions will remain less than 2005 levels for the next 23 years

Not that it will make any difference to the climate, the US Energy Dept. predicted today that US CO2 emissions will remain less than 2005 levels for the next 23 years, and that the US will rely less on imported oil and become a net exporter of natural gas. 

EIA: U.S. CO2 emissions remain static

Published: June 26, 2012 at 7:13 AM

WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Energy Department predicted carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. energy consumption should remain less than 2005 levels for the next 23 years.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, in its annual report, said energy-related CO2 emissions grow slowly because of economic factors, improvements in energy efficiency and the increased use of low-carbon energy forms.

"Emissions remain below their 2005 level from 2010 to 2035, even in the absence of new federal policies designed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions," the EIA said in its reports.

The EIA found that the use of natural gas to produce electricity increases from 24 percent in 2010 to 28 percent in 2035. Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power, meanwhile, increase their share from 10 percent to 15 percent during the reporting period.

At the same time, the report states, electricity generation from coal declines from roughly 48 percent in 2008 to less than 38 percent during the coming decades.

The report states that, under its current assumptions, the United States starts relying less on imported oil and the country will eventually become a net exporter of natural gas.

The EIA cautioned, however, that some of its projections could be influenced by economic and regulatory factors.

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