Ports reveal unprecedented surge in harmful emissions; officials blame COVID-19 logjam
In a time when many of us are desperately trying to keep things cool and maintain social distancing, the US has been a huge contributor to the global warming problem. And now, it is showing us just how important that is.
The United States emits more CO2, methane and black carbon per capita than any other country, according to a new report by the World Resources Institute, while on top of that, the US government continues to emit carbon dioxide at a higher rate than it can possibly replace.
That last part is a real problem, and it’s also a problem that’s only going to get more difficult to stop as climate change worsens. The report’s co-authors, Daniel Kammen of Duke University and Eric Holthaus of the University of California at Berkeley, said in a statement:
“CO2 emissions are increasing faster than they have for the past 200 years, and it is very clear that we have no hope of keeping up without dramatic policy changes.”
A report released Wednesday (March 10), showed that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States increased 25% in the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same quarter the previous year.
In the United States, emissions of carbon dioxide increased by 12.1% in the first quarter, a period of just a few weeks. However, that’s up from an increase of 9.8% in the first quarter of 2019.
On top of that number, US greenhouse gas emissions grew 12.8% compared with 2018, the third consecutive annual increase in emissions that is higher than emissions growth in the country’s energy sector.
The United States is one of the leading countries in global emissions; in 2020, China is expected to have the largest increase in CO2 and emissions in the world, while the US is on track to miss President Trump’s goal of reducing emissions by 28% from 2005 levels by 2025.
The US Energy Information Administration said in its report that by the end of March 2020, it had already emitted more than 5 million metric tons (MMT) of