The EIA  just released emissions data for the US in 2008. And it gave an encouraging picture: Energy-related CO2 emissions have declined by 2.8%. The Waxman-Markey Bill would ensure that this trend will continue.

Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008.

It would be nice to be able to refer this drop is due to the great efforts of many activists in the states who are working hard to raise awareness of people about climate change. But the causes for this drop are likely less motivational but are the result of several factors:

1) High oil prices early in the year

2) The financial crisis and thus lower energy consumption (it fell by 2.2.% in 2008 in the US).

The emissions reductions were mainly due to a reduction of petroleum use by 6%. Emissions from coal and gas declined by only 1%. Please note: the released data are still preliminary.

Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

The main emitter of energy-related CO2 is the electric sector. With 41% of all CO2 emissions coming from that sector, there is a huge potential to greatly reduce the CO2 emissions in the US by switching to renewable energies, especially wind, sun, and geothermal.

Now that the highly debated Waxman-Markey climate energy bill has passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee, there is hope that those emissions will continue to decline even after the economy recovers. However, opponents critizise that this bill has been watered down too much by coal lobbyists to be able to do what needs to be done.

Let’s hope that the reductions in emissions we see today will persist and speed up in spite of all the well-payed lobbysists in D.C.. For now, maybe a bill that is not effective enough is better than none and all. But that is only true if we do not stop working to improve the bill to ensure that emissions will get reduced effectively.

Maiken Winter

Source: EIA

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