EIA Reports Record-setting 7-percent Decline in U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009
May 5, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC – May 5, 2010 – In 2009, energy-related carbondioxide emissions in the United States saw their largest absolute andpercentage decline (405 million metric tons or 7.0 percent) since thestart of U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) comprehensiverecord of annual energy data that begins in 1949.
Today EIA released an analysis of the factors affecting this decline.The large decline in emissions was driven by the economic downturn,combined with an ongoing trend toward a less energy-intensive economyand a decrease in the carbon-intensity of the energy supply, said EIAAdministrator Richard Newell.
In addition to a decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009 of 2.4percent, the energy intensity of the economy (energy consumed per dollarof GDP) declined 2.4 percent and the carbon intensity of the energysupply (carbon dioxide per unit of energy consumed) declined by 2.3percent. The latter two factors led to a decline in the overall carbonintensity of the economy (carbon dioxide per dollar of GDP) of over 4.5percent between 2008 and 2009.
The analysis can be found on EIA’s website at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/environment/emissions/carbon/
The emissions data upon which the analysis is based can be found at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/environ.html
