Some Modest Good News On Climate Change


Since I usually post items that show that Climate Change is worse than originally thought, I will in fairness report some (modest, and misleading good news). The Department of Energy is reporting preliminary data showing that carbon dioxide emissions from fuel burned in the United States dropped 1.3 percent in 2006 compared with an all-time peak reached in 2005. The White House, of course, is claiming that this shows that the Bush Administration strategy on climate change (is there one?) is working.

Sadly, the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is the result of good weather and high energy prices, not good policy. Here is the New York Times report

Emissions of carbon dioxide from fuel burned in the United States dropped 1.3 percent in 2006 compared with an all-time peak reached the year before, according to preliminary data from the Energy Department. The United States remains the leading source of the carbon dioxide, the main emission linked to global warming. The White House quickly hailed the downturn, even in the face of economic growth, as evidence that President Bush’s policies for slowing growth in emissions without a mandatory cap were working. Some scientists and private environmental groups noted that the cause, according to the government, was mainly moderate weather and high prices for oil, natural gas and electricity. Over all, emissions were up 17.9 percent since 1990.

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