Carbon Dioxide Emissions -Scott Rogers

The switch from coal to cleaner and cheaper natural gas by power plants across the United States has allowed carbon dioxide emissions to plunge to their lowest levels in 20 years.

Market forces are primarily responsible for the drop, rather than voluntary emission cuts that have failed to materialize due to government and business dithering.

The U.S. Energy Information Agency, part of the Department of Energy, said in a study published this month that CO2 levels are about at 1992 levels due to the shift to natural gas, as well as a lagging economy, conservation efforts and a greater use of renewable energy.

The report says that the U.S. has cut carbon dioxide emissions more than any other country over the past six years.

But that drop has come at an expense to other aspects of the environment, conservationists warn.

Natural gas has been made more affordable due to the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which has resulted in widespread pollution of surrounding groundwater.

The methane leaks associated with the process also cause serious air pollution and offset some of the reduction in greenhouse effects brought on by lower CO2 emissions.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions in U.S. Lowest Since 1992