In a surprising bit of good news, CO2 emissions are dropping in
the United States, and much of the credit goes to the use of
natural gas. In a surprising turnaround, the amount of carbon
dioxide being released into the atmosphere in the U.S. has
fallen dramatically to its lowest level in 20 years, and
government officials say the biggest reason is that cheap and
plentiful natural gas has led many power plant operators to
switch from dirtier-burning coal. Many of the world’s leading
climate scientists didn’t see the drop coming, in large part
because it happened as a result of market forces rather than
direct government action against carbon dioxide, a greenhouse
gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Natural gas has been
controversial due to fracking, but the carbon emission benefits
can be substantial if gas replaces coal. It’s also adding to job
growth and other economic activity as well. Tags: carbon
dioxide, carbon emissions, CO2, CO2 emissions, coal, coal vs
natural gas, coal-fired power generation, frac