CO2 emissions decline sharply, thanks to Great Recession

May 7th, 2010

Photo via Flickr: Gwydionwilliams

In the midst of ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and stock market meltdowns, here’s some news to be thankful for: US carbon dioxide emissions are down — way down — declining more last year than at any time since 1949, when this sort of data started being collected by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

So what do we have to thank for the full 7 percent decrease in 2009 alone (that’s 405 million metric tons, by the way)? Pretty much the answer to everything in a country that runs on capitalism: It’s the economy (stupid).

From Environmental News Network:

“The large decline in emissions was driven by the economic downturn, combined with an ongoing trend toward a less energy-intensive economy and a decrease in the carbon-intensity of the energy supply,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell.

It seems this may be the only bright side of the Great Recession. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell by 2.4 percent in 2009, and much of that decrease was from cutbacks in energy-intensive industries. Output from these industries, such as primary metals (-33.9 percent) and nonmetallic minerals (-17.4 percent) fell faster than total industrial output (-9.8 percent).

Industries also focused a lot on conserving energy from an environmental and economic standpoint. Therefore, energy consumed per dollar of GDP also fell by 2.4 percent.

In plain terms, we need a lot less materials because we’re just buying a lot less stuff. And that — not driving the latest hybrid, not installing rooftop solar panels (though those are both good things) — may be how we as individuals can most effectively fight global warming.

The question is, will the downturn in CO2 emissions continue when (or if) the economy rebounds?