US emissions hit record levels

New figures from the US Environmental Protection Agency has shown that the country’s greenhouse gas emissions have reached record levels. The statistics, which will act as a further damning assessment of the Bush Administration’s handling of green affairs, show a 1.7% jump in emissions in 2004 from the previous year.

During the period between 1990 and 2004 – 1990 being the ‘baseline’ date from which emissions are judged in the Kyoto Protoco – total emissions in the US have risen by a massive 15.8%.

The US has faced significant pressure to act more decisively on emissions reduction, from government including the UK, and from numerous State Authorities and Senators.

"Despite the overwhelming evidence of the catastrophic consequences of global climate change, President Bush refuses to sign the Kyoto climate treaty and has allowed US emissions to reach record levels,” said Friends of the Earth international's climate coordinator, Catherine Pearce. “This is despite calls from within the States urging action on climate change. US businesses, Mayors and Senators recognise the dire threat, and want the US to take its responsibilities seriously, invest in the solutions that already exist, and cut its emissions of greenhouse gases.”