Carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. power sector fell through the first half of 2016 to their lowest level in 25 years, the Energy Information Administration announced this morning.
As FuelFix.com reports, the drop comes amidst a long-term shift away from coal to natural gas and ever increasing levels of wind turbines and solar panels across the country’s electrical grid. Also, a particularly mild winter—the warmest since at least 1949, EIA notes—meant less need for heating systems and thus less electricity demand.
The fall off from the power industry comes as greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks ticked up in recent years. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, emissions from the transportation sector rose 2% between 2012 and 2014—the most recent year for which data is available.
According to the report from EIA today, consumption of coal-fired electricity decreased 18% from the first half of 2015 to the same period in 2016. Natural gas decreased 1%. And renewables, which includes, wind, solar and hydroelectric dams, increased 9%.
