Emissions of CO2 in the U.S. have fallen almost 13 percent since 2007 - "perhaps the biggest decline among industrial countries." Rather than the result of an enlightened policy shift, the drop has resulted from market forces, says Eduardo Porter.
"Who would have thought the United States would one day be a leader in cutting greenhouse gas emissions?" asks Porter. "Yet when President Obama talked about the nation’s energy revolution during his
last month, he could have boasted that American emissions of CO2 had fallen almost 13 percent since 2007. It was perhaps the biggest decline among industrial countries, and substantially steeper than in Europe, which has been much more committed to combating climate change.""Carbon emissions from the United States have never fallen this much," he adds, "not after the first oil price shock following the Arab oil embargo of 1973, nor after the Iranian revolution of 1979, when American drivers suddenly discovered the virtues of Japanese small cars and President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House to heat the water."
"What stands out most in this shift, however, is not environmental regulation or public concern about global warming but the price of energy and market-driven technological advancements. 'It wasn’t so much a policy shift that brought carbon emissions down,' said James Hamilton, an energy economist at the University of California, San Diego. 'It was irresistible market forces.'”
The shift from coal to gas-powered generators has been a major cause of the decline. But is the shift, which was largely due to the falling price of gas, sustainable? And, as coal use has grown at a rate "10 times that of renewables" since 2000, can other countries follow America's accidental lead in reducing emissions?
FULL STORY: A Model for Reducing Emissions
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Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
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