Report: US Carbon Emissions Increase by 3.4% in 2018

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States spiked by 3.4% in 2018, according to preliminary data. Rhodium Group, the independent research firm that published the report, noted that this is the second largest increase in emissions that the country experienced in over two decades. The report revealed that the transportation sector is the biggest contributor of carbon emissions in the United States. It is followed by the power sector, which experienced a 1.9% increase in emissions from 2017 despite a number of coal-fired power plants shutting down last year. Emissions from commercial and residential buildings and the industrial sector also significantly increased. According to the research firm, the increase in US carbon emissions can be attributed to a number of factors. One of the factors was the growth of the US economy, which caused industrial sites like factories and chemical plants to consume more energy. There was also an increase in the demand for diesel and jet fuel last year due to more airline travels and truck shipments. Rhodium Group researchers believe that this phenomenon caused transportation emissions to soar in 2018. Moreover, the first quarter of 2018 experienced a colder winter, resulting in higher demand for fuel oil and natural gas for heating purposes. Rhodium Group claimed that the buildings and industrial sectors, which have limited policies regarding clean energy and climate, had the biggest increase in carbon emissions in 2018. The researchers warned that if the US federal government will not create new policies on the regulation of these sectors, industrial emissions will become bigger contributors to US CO2 emissions in the years to come.