New Data Confirms US and EU Carbon Emissions Fell Last Year »

New figures have revealed that carbon emissions across the EU and US fell last year as a combination of high energy prices and the onset of global recession combined to drive down demand for energy.

According to new preliminary estimates from the US government's Energy Information Administration (EIA), energy-related carbon emissions fell by 2.8 per cent last year to 5,802 million tonnes, while emissions from petroleum fell six per cent. Carbon emissions from natural gas were also down 13 million tonnes or one per cent, while coal emissions fell 1.1 per cent or 23 million tonnes.

The EIA said the decline in emissions was largely the result of declining GDP towards the end of the year and record energy and oil prices during the first half of the year.

However, while energy-related carbon emissions fell 2.8 per cent, energy use fell just 2.2 per cent year on year, suggesting that the expansion of US renewable energy capacity could be beginning to affect carbon emissions levels.

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