Why the U.S. leads the world in reducing carbon emissions

Following my previous article on suspending US liquefied natural gas exports, some readers could not believe that the US is leading the world in reducing carbon emissions. Some suggested that this was only true for per capita emissions, or that it was not true when methane leakage was taken into account. However, none of those comments are accurate.

According to the 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy, over the past 15 years, the United States has experienced the largest decline in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions of any country. According to the report, this includes “carbon dioxide emissions from energy, carbon dioxide emissions from flaring, carbon dioxide-equivalent methane emissions from fossil fuel production, transportation, and distribution, and carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes. reflects the total amount of emissions. ” This therefore includes an estimate of leakage, as explicitly stated in the report.

The United States reduced carbon emissions by 879 million tons, or 14%. Compare this with the 10 countries that have reduced their carbon emissions the most over that period. The figure is in million tons per year.

To be fair, the US has more carbon emissions than any other country in this table, so a 14% reduction in emissions would be equivalent to the UK’s 40% reduction or Spain’s over the same period. This must be compared to a 33% decrease.

Meanwhile, the countries with the highest increase in carbon emissions over the same period are:

Note that China’s emissions increase was 60% greater than the combined emissions decline of the 10 countries in the previous table. This is the main driver of global carbon emissions growth.

The main reason we focused on 2015 is because that’s when hydraulic fracturing began to significantly increase oil and gas production in the United States. In addition to experiencing the largest decline in carbon emissions over the past 15 years, the United States also experienced the largest increase in energy production. It may seem counterintuitive, but there’s a simple explanation.

Coal produces more than twice as much carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generation as natural gas (source). The replacement of coal with natural gas in electricity generation has significantly reduced U.S. carbon emissions.

Renewable energy also played a role, but its contribution fell short of that of natural gas. You can see it in the following image.

For reasons of scale and reliability, renewable energy alone could not immediately replace coal. This is why natural gas is often discussed as an important bridge fuel. It’s not just a theory. You can actually see the results.

In 2007, coal accounted for more than 40% of total electricity generation, while natural gas only had a 20% share. By 2022, the share of coal will fall to 20% and the share of natural gas will increase to 40%.

I recently saw a news article that included a graph showing a decline in U.S. coal consumption and an increase in U.S. renewable energy consumption. This graphic made it seem like renewable energy was the cause of the decline in coal consumption. However, this figure was misleading because it ignored the important contribution of natural gas to replace coal in power generation.

In conclusion, this data clearly supports the fact that the United States has achieved the most significant reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in the past 15 years. Although some readers have voiced skepticism, the comprehensive assessment includes various factors such as per capita emissions and methane leakage, confirming the accuracy of the claims. .

However, it is important to put this achievement into context by recognizing that, although the United States’ carbon emissions have declined significantly, they still exceed those of many other countries. The pivotal role of natural gas in replacing coal has emerged as a key driver behind this achievement, highlighting the importance of transitional energy sources in the pursuit of sustainable practices. Masu.

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