Bummer: U.S. Plant Food Emissions Surged In 2018

Trees and bushes and flowers and such are offering their thanks, but, Warmists are not happy, as uber-Warmist Brad Plumer goes on a rant

U.S. Carbon Emissions Surged in 2018 Even as Coal Plants Closed

America’s carbon dioxide emissions rose by 3.4 percent in 2018, the biggest increase in eight years, according to a preliminary estimate published Tuesday.

Strikingly, the sharp uptick in emissions occurred even as a near-record number of coal plants around the United States retired last year, illustrating how difficult it could be for the country to make further progress on climate change in the years to come, particularly as the Trump administration pushes to roll back federal regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The estimate, by the research firm Rhodium Group, pointed to a stark reversal. Fossil fuel emissions in the United States have fallen significantly since 2005 and declined each of the previous three years, in part because of a boom in cheap natural gas and renewable energy, which have been rapidly displacing dirtier coal-fired power.

Yet even a steep drop in coal use last year wasn’t enough to offset rising emissions in other parts of the economy. Some of that increase was weather-related: A relatively cold winter led to a spike in the use of oil and gas for heating in areas like New England.

But, just as important, as the United States economy grew at a strong pace last year, emissions from factories, planes and trucks soared. And there are few policies in place to clean those sectors up.

Got that? The economy really picked up and this increased CO2 output, because things were getting done. People were making things and people were buying things.

Demand for electricity surged last year, too, as the economy grew, and renewable power did not expand fast enough to meet the extra demand. As a result, natural gas filled in the gap, and emissions from electricity rose an estimated 1.9 percent. (Natural gas produces lower CO2 emissions than coal when burned, but it is still a fossil fuel.)

If the “renewables” were so great investors would be rushing to build them. But most people do not want to by exorbitant prices for energy.

“The U.S. has led the world in emissions reductions in the last decade thanks in large part to cheap gas displacing coal,” said Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, who was not involved in the analysis. “But that has its limits, and markets alone will not deliver anywhere close to the pace of decarbonization needed without much stronger climate policy efforts that are unfortunately stalled if not reversed under the Trump administration.”

In other words, the Warmists want government to force people to comply.

Save $10 on purchases of $49.99 & up on our Fruit Bouquets at 1800flowers.com. Promo Code: FRUIT49
If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds.

Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed

3 Responses to “Bummer: U.S. Plant Food Emissions Surged In 2018”

  1. Jethro says:

    “The U.S. has led the world in emissions reductions in the last decade thanks in large part to cheap gas displacing coal”… “But that has its limits, and markets alone will not deliver anywhere close to the pace of decarbonization needed without much stronger climate policy efforts that are unfortunately stalled if not reversed under the Trump administration.”

    Teach types: People were making things and people were buying things

    Do you think that people can’t make and buy things while emitting less CO2? Actually, we can decouple CO2 emissions from economic growth by transitioning from fossil fuels to non-fossil fuel based energy sources. The debate is over how best to accomplish that task.

    Of course if you think that increasing atmospheric CO2 and global warming is “good” for humanity, there’s no reason to discuss it.

    Why do Cons oppose transitioning for fossil fuels?

    Teach worries about Americans being “forced to comply”… Comply to what? Less coal burning? More electric vehicles on the road? Cleaner air? Americans were “forced to comply” with seat belts, catalytic converters, air bags, clean air and clean water, nutrition information – and Americans are better off for it.

  2. Mangoldielocks says:

    AGW denies plants and growing crops can cause increase in co2. It’s fossil fuels. They know they can punish and tax the wealth out of trillion dollar corporations but they cant get blood from a poor farmer in Iowa.

    Global warming is the largest scam ever perpetrated on the WORLD. It is the lynchpin upon which GLOBALISM HINGES. Without funding and fearmongering the nation states have no desire to partake of a fascist world government.

    Seriously a world government that tells you what you can and cant do in regard to your personal lives. A world government that would easily LEGALIZE PROSTITUTION. A world government that makes it a CRIME punishable by PRISON TIME to MAKE SPEECH AGAINST IMMIGRATION.

    Projection. The only true fascists are the left and their perpetual hostile attempts at curbing free speech and deeming almost everything including white people as evil, and should be loathed. The only good white person is that person who is reviling the right and conservativism.

    Nationalism is surging. The more the left pushes their agenda worldwide the more nationalism is surging. Right now Every government in the EU is center Right with a nationalist agenda. Even George Soros said the EU is in serious danger of dissolving.

    • Jethro says:

      AGW denies plants and growing crops can cause increase in co2.

      Are you really claiming the increase in atmospheric CO2 is from plant respiration?

      Why does atmospheric CO2 drop about 7 ppm during the northern hemisphere spring as trees and other green plants resume growth?

Pirate's Cove