News Brief

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Fall in 2008

by Andrea Ward

Annual Percent Change in C02 Emissions From 1991 to 2008

Only four years in the past 18 saw reductions in U.S. CO2 emissions. Two of these reductions, however, were in the past three years.

Chart: U.S. Department of Energy
Annual energy-related emissions of CO2 fell by 2.8% in 2008, while total energy consumption fell 2.2%, according to a report recently released by the Energy Information Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This decline was the largest since 1982, which saw a drop of 5.3% due to similar economic conditions and high fuel prices.

The sharpest drop in 2008 came in the transportation sector, where emissions fell by 5.2%. The only sector to see a rise in emissions was the commercial sector, including stores, office and government buildings, schools, and hospitals, whose combined emissions were 0.5% higher.

Published June 30, 2009

Ward, A. (2009, June 30). Carbon Dioxide Emissions Fall in 2008. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/newsbrief/carbon-dioxide-emissions-fall-2008

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Volume 18, Issue 7