There are signs that fossil fuel use is waning in the US as carbon emissions dropped behind the rate of economic growth in 2022.
The country’s carbon footprint still increased by 1.3 per cent – but far less steeply than it did in 2021, and well below pre-pandemic levels.
The carbon intensity of the US economy also declined in 2022 thanks to major shifts in the electric power sector which accounts for 28 per cent of overall emissions. However, the economy had a sluggish year due to high inflation, disrupted global supply chains, and fallout from the war in Ukraine. The US economy grew 1.9 per cent last year, down from 5.7 per cent in 2021.
This reversal in 2022 was due to a significant jump in renewables – rising 12 per cent on the previous year – and the replacement of coal power with less carbon-intensive natural gas.
The preliminary findings were published on Tuesday by the Rhodium Group which analyses disruptive global trends.
For the first time in six decades, renewable…
