Isra-Mart srl:US emissions to continue steady increase post-recession

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Isra-Mart srl news:

US emissions from fossil fuels rose 3.8 per cent over 2010, but are expected to dip this year ahead of another increase in 2012, according to statistics published by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) yesterday.

In its latest Short Term Energy Outlook, the government forecaster said increased electricity production driven by high temperatures and a higher-than-usual consumption of gas by industry were the primary reasons behind increased emissions during 2010.

However, overturning last year's prediction that 2011 levels would surpass 2010, the EIA said it expects far lower fossil fuel consumption in the electricity sector during 2011.

Along with a rising contribution from hydropower, this fall should offset increased fuel use in road transport and aviation, bringing emissions down by 0.6 per cent to 5.587 million tonnes of CO2.

But the respite will be short-lived. According to the agency, an expanding economy and a subsequent increase in electricity generation the following year will see emissions rise by 2.4 per cent to 5.720 million tonnes in 2012.

Even so, projected CO2 levels for 2012 are still 4.4 per cent below the levels in 2005, the US baseline year for emissions targets, and remain lower than any year since 1999.

President Barack Obama pledged to cut emissions by 17 per cent of 2005 levels by 2020 at the Copenhagen Climate Summit – a target the White House has said it will honour despite the failure to incorporate it in a formal climate change bill.