U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 1.3% in 2022, according to a report released Tuesday by the Rhodium Group.
The rise was relatively modest compared to the 6.5% emissions surge in 2021, but the US has deviated further from its commitments under the Paris Agreement. US emissions are now 15.5 percent below 2005 levels, according to the report, and the country is on an uphill path toward meeting its pledge to cut emissions by 50 to 52 percent by the end of 2005. It is written.
Senior Rhodium Analyst Alfredo Rivera, lead author of the report, said:
The past year has seen mixed signals about the progress of climate change in the United States. Renewables have surpassed coal power for the first time in at least 60 years, said Rhodium, and combined energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower make up 22% of the country’s electricity supply. A combination of plant decommissioning and railroad bottlenecks limited coal production, reducing coal production to his 20% of US power generation.
Greening the U.S. electricity supply means 1% less emissions from power plants. It also means that US gross domestic product growth (1.9%) outpaced emissions growth (1.3%), suggesting the US economy is becoming less carbon-intensive.
The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act last year should accelerate that trend, Rivera said, as the federal clean energy tax credit has increased the adoption of clean technology.
But if 2022 has demonstrated US progress on climate, it also highlights the challenges ahead.
After a particularly cold winter, emissions from buildings increased by 6%. Transport and industry each increased emissions by just over 1%. These sectors of the economy have historically proven difficult to green, pushing up total U.S. emissions in 2022.
The United States will need to reduce emissions by about 5% annually over the next decade to reach the 2030 target of 50%. U.S. emissions fell by an average of 1.7% annually between 2011 and 2020, according to EPA figures. But even that number exaggerates the US’ past emissions progress, as it includes a 10% decline from 2020 due to the pandemic.
Whether the U.S. can accelerate its decarbonization efforts and reach the Paris target will largely depend on the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act, Rivera said.
“The impact of the IRA will largely depend on how quickly the funded programs operate and how quickly implementation begins,” he said. “Even with the IRA, much more needs to be done to reach the target of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030, he said.”
Reprinted from E&E News with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2023. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
