The United States led the world in tackling CO2 emissions last year while combining that singular success with solid economic growth, a new report reveals.
It has also been confirmed while the U.S. was hitting its climate goals, at the same time “80 percent of the increase in CO2 emissions came from Asia and that China and India both contributed significantly” to global increases.
“The United States saw the largest decline in energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019 on a country basis – a fall of 140 Mt, or 2.9%, to 4.8 Gt,” the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported Tuesday. “US emissions are now down almost 1 Gt from their peak in the year 2000, the largest absolute decline by any country over that period.”
“A 15% reduction in the use of coal for power generation underpinned the decline in overall US emissions in 2019,” the IEA continued.
“Coal-fired power plants faced even stronger competition from natural gas-fired generation, with benchmark gas prices an average of 45% lower than 2018 levels. As a result, gas increased its share in electricity generation to a record high of 37%. Overall electricity demand declined because demand for air-conditioning and heating was lower as a result of milder summer and winter weather.”
U.S. success in leading the world in tackling CO2 emissions was not lost on those who support its current efforts.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) responded on Twitter, “FACT you will NEVER see on the 6 o’clock news: U.S. emissions FELL 2.9%, or by 140 million tons, continuing the trend of the United States LEADING THE WORLD IN TOTAL EMISSIONS DECLINE since 2000.”
FACT you will NEVER see on the 6 o’clock news: U.S. emissions FELL 2.9%, or by 140 million tons, continuing the trend of the United States LEADING THE WORLD IN TOTAL EMISSIONS DECLINE since 2000. https://t.co/bZTkmCZbOs
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 12, 2020
The IEA pointed out 80 percent of the increase in CO2 emissions came from Asia and that China and India both contributed significantly to the increase.
“In China, emissions rose but were tempered by slower economic growth and higher output from low-carbon sources of electricity,” the IEA reported. “Renewables continued to expand in China, and 2019 was also the first full year of operation for seven large-scale nuclear reactors in the country.”
The success of the U.S. in achieving such manifest good work flies in the face of criticism from the likes of Sweden’s Greta Thunberg who has previously chided it for doing the opposite.
As Breitbart news reported, last September Thunberg took her climate alarm message to the U.S. Congress, imploring the nation’s lawmakers to “take real action” to avert environmental disaster.
On the evidence it would appear that mission has been accomplished without a single job being lost in the process.
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