EPA: US greenhouse gas emissions rose from 2012 to 2013

Greenhouse gas emissions rose 2 percent in 2013 from 2012 levels, but dropped 9 percent since 2005. the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said this week.

U.S. greenhouse emissions totaled 6.7 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2013. Power plants represented the largest source of emissions, accounting for 31 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas pollution.

The transportation sector represented the second largest source at 27 percent. Industry and manufacturing were the third largest source, at 21 percent. The figures come from EPA’s annual greenhouse gas inventory released Wednesday.

The increase in total national greenhouse gas emissions between 2012 and 2013 was due to increased energy consumption across all sectors in the U.S. economy and greater use of coal for electricity generation.

The data on greenhouse gas emissions, a source of climate change, help identify primary emissions sources and cost-effective opportunities to reduce them, according to the EPA.

Under President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the EPA has sought to curb carbon pollution from the power and transportation sectors, and to improve energy efficiency in homes, businesses and factories.

The agency prepares the inventory annually with help from other federal agencies and submits the report to the Secretariat of the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change every year on April 15.

The inventory presents historical emissions since 1990, though it tracks back to 1990. The inventory covers seven key greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

Additionally, the inventory calculates carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere through the uptake of carbon in forests and other vegetation. The EPA has been publishing the inventory since 1994, though it tracks emissions from 1990.

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