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Good News on CO2

By cortex on June 29, 2006.

It seems that supply and demand are compensating for the ineffectual policies of the Bush Adminstration. An Energy Information Adminstration press release announced the following:

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels increased by 0.1 percent in 2005, from 5,903 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMTCO 2) in 2004 to 5,909 MMTCO 2 in 2005, according to preliminary estimates released today by the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The 2005 emissions increase was the third smallest during the 1990 to 2005 period, exceeding only the emissions declines recorded in 1991 and 2001.

Even more impressive, this stasis in carbon dioxide emissions happened during a period of relatively fast economic growth. What did we do right? Well, energy got expensive, which drove down energy demand by 0.5%. Now if only we could get a gas tax...

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