A bust economy, rather than a boom in natural gas use, is the reason CO2 emissions dropped 11% between 2007 and 2013.
As the economy goes, so go climate change-causing carbon dioxide emissions. That’s the finding of new research from the University of California Irvine, the University of Maryland and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. The study, cited at EurekaAlert!, indicates that an 11% decrease in carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. between 2007 and 2013 was actually caused by the global financial recession and not the reduced use of coal.
It was thought by many experts that the reduction in CO2 emissions was the result of a shift toward natural gas. Instead, changing consumer demand and slumping output during the period gets most of the credit, according to the article. As the economy has improved, CO2 emissions are once again on the rise. The study’s authors warn that without new policies limiting CO2 emissions, their continued ascent will accompany further economic recovery.
