U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 6.2 percent last year

Over the past year, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have risen 6.2 percent from 2020 levels, according to a new report . The leap puts the country further behind meeting the reduction targets they have set . Under the agreement, the U.S. has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by between 50 percent and 52 percent below the 2005 to 2030 level. Since last year, they have been 17.4 percent below that benchmark. It is a step back from the 22.2 percent reduction the country had achieved the year before.

Behind the increase in total emissions were corresponding jumps in pollution caused by the country’s transport and energy sectors. Compared to 2021, these sectors generated an additional 10 percent and 6.6 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. The impetus for these increases was a 17 percent increase in reliance on energy produced in coal and more people driving after the fall caused by the pandemic.

The report emphasizes the importance of cleaning up its electricity grid and transportation sector for the United States. Another recent study showed that wind and sun can meet the country’s current electricity needs. So much about whether the US fulfills its obligations under the Paris Agreement will depend on whether the country will be able to mobilize investment as part of a policy like President Biden’s. . The fate of the account is , but what is clear is that technology is there to enable a clean transition. , natural gas has never been more affordable, and yet it has been more expensive than .