EPA Publishes National U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, April 16, 2012
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the 17th
annual U.S. greenhouse gas inventory. The final report shows overall
emissions in 2010 increased by 3.2 percent from the previous year. The
trend is attributed to an increase in energy consumption across all
economic sectors, due to increasing energy demand associated with an
expanding economy, and increased demand for electricity for air
conditioning due to warmer summer weather during 2010. Total emissions
of the six main greenhouse gases in 2010 were equivalent to 6,822
million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons
and sulfur hexafluoride. The report, "The Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse
Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2010," indicates that overall emissions
have grown by over 10 percent from 1990 to 2010.
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