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Environment > U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Sources 2008 Flash Estimate
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U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Sources 2008 Flash Estimate
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For all-year data that appear in the Tables below |
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This flash estimate is based on data published in the April 2009 Monthly Energy Review (MER). All 2008 data are preliminary. (The most recent estimates for other gases (2007))
Note: These emission estimates are denominated in millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMTCO2). To convert to carbon equivalent emissions, multiply by 12/44.
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Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions Declined by 2.8 Percent in 2008 |
Factors that contributed to the decline include:
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Energy prices
- In 2008, gasoline and diesel prices were at their all-time peak level
- Near the end of the year, despite lower energy prices, gasoline and diesel demand was dampened by a drop in consumer income
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Lower economic growth
- In 2008, GDP growth was a modest 1.1 percent
- In the 4th quarter, GDP fell at an annual rate of 6.3 percent
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Total energy consumption in 2008 fell by 2.2 percent |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Emissions from Petroleum Fell by 6 Percent in 2008 |
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U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions decreased 165 million metric tons (MMTCO2) –from 5,967 MMTCO2 in 2007 to 5,802 MMTCO2 in 2008 (2.8 percent) |
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Petroleum emissions were down 155 MMTCO2 (6.0 percent) |
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Natural gas emissions increased by 13 MMTCO2 (1.0 percent) while coal emissions decreased by 23 MMTCO2 (1.1 percent) |
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Source: Energy Information Administration,preliminary estimate for 2008.
*The total includes small amounts of CO2 from municipal solid waste and
geothermal energy. P=Preliminary |
| For all-year data |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008.
Totals may not sum due to rounding. |
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| Source:Energy Information Administration,preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Oil Use in Transportation Fell in 2008 |
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By mid-year 2008, consumption was running 100 to 200 trillion Btu per month lower than the previous 2 years as gasoline and diesel prices were at an all-time high |
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For the year, transportation petroleum consumption was down by 1,434 trillion Btu in 2008 as compared to 2007 |
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Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008.
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| Electric Power Sector Emissions Declined Due to Lower Demand and a Decrease in all Fossil-Fuel Generation |
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Emissions from the electric power sector decreased by 50 MMTCO2 (2.1 percent) in 2008 |
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Generation declined by 1.0 percent |
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The resulting decrease in carbon intensity of 1.1 percent was driven by a decrease in fossil fuel generation:
- Natural gas-related emissions decreased 9.7 MMTCO2 (2.6 percent), coal decrease 24.7 MMTCO2 (1.3 percent)
- Emissions from petroleum decreased by 15.4 MMTCO2 (28.1 percent) |
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Non-carbon generation rose by 18.6 billion kWh (1.7 percent) as the non-carbon share of generation rose from 27.8 percent in 2007 to 28.5 percent in 2008 |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Direct-Fuel Use Energy Consumption in Sectors |
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When the electric power sector is considered by itself, it is the largest sector in terms of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions (41 percent of total emissions) |
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Transportation emissions contain very little indirect CO2 from the electric power sector and they are growing at about the same rate, but both declined in 2008 |
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Direct-fuel use emissions in the residential and commercial sectors have remained relatively flat since 1990 |
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Direct-fuel use industrial emissions have declined by about 8 percent since 1990 |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Transportation Remains the Largest Emitter Among End-Use Sectors |
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In 1999, transportation-related CO2 emissions overtook industrial emissions as the largest end-use source of energy-related CO2 |
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Since 1990, industrial emissions have declined 0.3 percent per year while transportation emissions have grown 1.1 percent per year |
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Residential sector emissions have grown 1.4 percent per year since 1990
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Since 1990, commercial emissions have averaged the highest growth (1.8 percent per year), although they remain the smallest sector for CO2 emissions
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Both the residential and commercial sectors are dominated by electricity-related emissions |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
| For all-year data |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. Electric Power sector emissions are distributed across the end-use sectors. |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Transportation Sector Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Fuel Types (1990 to 2008) |
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In 2008, transportation CO2 emissions declined by 5.2 percent —the largest annual decline since 1990 |
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Motor gasoline accounts for 58.7 percent of the sector's CO2 emissions |
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Diesel fuel accounts for 23.2 percent of the sector's CO2 emissions |
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Since 1990, transportation sector CO2 emissions have risen by 21.1 percent — 1.1 percent per year |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Residential Sector Carbon Dioxide Emissions for Electricity and Direct Fuel Use (1990 - 2008) |
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In 2008, residential CO2 emissions fell 13 MMTCO2 (1.1 percent) |
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Heating degree-days were up 5.6 percent, but cooling degree-days fell by 8.7 percent |
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About 25 percent of residential energy demand is heating related and 13 percent cooling related* |
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Electricity-related emissions are 72 percent of the sector's total emissions so a decline of 1.9 percent offset the heating-related increase |
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Between 1990 and 2008, residential sector CO2 emissions grew by 27.5 percent (1.4 percent per year)
- CO2 emissions growth was driven more by electricity-related than direct fuel emissiions(graph)
-Emissions related to electricity increased by 41.4 percent between 1990 and 2008, while direct use increased by 2.2 percent
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*Updated AEO2009 Reference Case, April 2009, Table 4. |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Commercial Sector Carbon Emissions for Electricity and Direct Fuel Use (1990 - 2008) |
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In 2008, commercial CO2 emissions increased 5 MMTCO2 (0.5 percent) from 2007 levels |
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Electricity accounts for 79.7 percent of CO2 emissions from the commercial sector
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Electricity-related emissions increased 0.3 percent from 2007 to 2008 |
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Between 1990 and 2008, commercial sector CO2 emissions grew by 37.2 percent (1.8 percent per year) |
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This growth was from electricity-related CO2 rather than direct fuel use |
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Commercial sector electricity-related emissions grew 52.9 percent or 2.4 percent per year between 1990 and 2008 |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Industrial Sector Emissions from Electricity, Petroleum, Natural Gas and Coal (1990 to 2008) |
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In 2008, energy-related industrial CO2 emissions declined by 3.2 percent |
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Between 1990 and 2008, energy-related industrial sector CO2 emissions declined 95 MMTCO2 from 1,683 to 1,588 MMTCO2 |
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Total petroleum and coke imports increased by 9.1 and 4.0 MMTCO2 respectively over the 1990 to 2008 time period while coal and natural gas emissions decreased by 77.5 and 20.5 MMTCO2 over the same time period |
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Many energy-intensive industries such as steel have moved overseas and have been replaced with less energy-intensive, higher-value industries such as computer chips |
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Based on early estimates, total industrial output decreased 2.2 percent in 2008
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Output from energy-intensive industries, such as chemicals, primary metals, and non-metallic minerals, decreased 7.8, 6.8, and 5.8 percent, respectively
- Output from petroleum refineries was flat
- The food industry grew 1.5 percent while the paper industry fell by 2.4 percent
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Between 1990 and 2008 the index of total industrial output grew by 56 percent or 2.5 percent per year |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. |
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| Source: http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/ipdisk/ip_nsa.txt |
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| Energy CO2 Intensity (Energy CO2 per GDP) |
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Energy-related CO2 per unit of GDP dropped 3.8 percent in 2008
- Energy per GDP (Btu/GDP) declined 3.3 percent
- The CO2 intensity of the energy supply (CO2/Btu) declined 0.6 percent |
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Between 1990 and 2008, energy CO2 per unit of GDP declined by 29.3 percent
(1.9 percent per year)
- Most of this decline was from a 28.4-percent decrease in energy intensity
- The remainder was from a 1.2-percent decrease in the carbon intensity of the energy supply
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Between 1990 and 2007, energy CO2 per unit of GDP declined by 26.4 percent (1.8 percent per year) |
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Between 1990 and 2007, total greenhouse gas emissions per unit of GDP declined 28.0 percent (1.9 percent per year) |
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| Source: Energy Information Administration, preliminary estimate for 2008. Totals may not sum due to rounding. |
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