U.S. Transportation & Buildings Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rise in 2017
Electric power CO2 declines again.
"Energy-related CO2 emissions fell by 0.66% last year – half their 2005-2016 average rate. Power sector emissions continued to decline, but emissions from the transport, buildings and industrial sectors all grew, offsetting half the decline in the power sector. . .
. . . Between 2005 and 2016, energy-related CO2 emissions in the US fell by 13.4%, an average annual decline of 1.3% due to a combination of slower energy demand growth and fuel switching from coal to natural gas and renewables."
- Final US Emissions Numbers for 2017 - Rhodium Group by Trevor Houser & Peter Masters - March 29, 2018
The U.S. electric power industry continued its 10-year trend of carbon dioxide emissions reductions last year, while transportation and buildings emissions increased. A report published March 29, 2018 by Rhodium Climate Science analyzes U.S. Energy Information Administration 2017 data, and compares 2017 CO2 emissions with previous years.
Rhodium's chart above shows CO2 emissions in millions of metric tons (MMT) for 1990 - 2017. The energy industry sectors are:
- electric power generating powerplants - BLUE
- transportation by vehicles, aircraft, and trains - GREEN
- industry - ORANGE
- buildings - residential and commercial - YELLOW
U.S. transportation emitted about 1,700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2017 -- electric power generation about 1,600 MMT.
Electric energy generated by coal- and gas-fired powerplants declined in 2017 compared to 2016, shown in the chart below-left. The numbers are millions of kiloWatthours.
The chart below-right shows 2017 changes in U.S. electric power in-service generating capacity. Variable renewable energy (VRE: wind-turbines and solar-PV) increased. Coal-fired powerplants declined, and was partially-offset by new natural gas-fired additions to the power generation fleet. In 2017, U.S. electric utilities shut-down 9.8% of the total coal-fired powerplant capacity.
Vehicles-miles traveled increased in 2017, continuing the upward trend begun in 2012.
Transportation fuel CO2 emissions annual changes, comparing 2017 to 2016, are shown below in million metric tons (MMT). Aviation jet fuel CO2 emissions increased 9.2 MMT, diesel fuel increased 6.09 MMT.
“Growth in aviation emissions alone offset more than one third of the emissions decline from falling coal use in the electric power sector.” - Rhodium Group - March 29, 2018
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Final US Emissions Numbers for 2017 - Rhodium Group