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US carbon emissions down 7 per cent since 2007
Nov 3, 2011, 9:10 GMT
Washington - Carbon emissions from fossil fuels have dropped 7 per cent since 2007 in the United States, according to a report Wednesday by a private environmental organization.
The report by the Earth Policy Institute was based on information from the US Department of Energy.
'This reversal is historic,' said Lester Brown, who heads the institute. He said the drop was initially attributed to the slumping economy, but added that it was 'not just a short-term blip.'
'After decades, generations of rising carbon emissions, suddenly we're headed down,' Brown said.
The figures included data from 2007 through the first eight months of 2011 and projections for the final four months of this year.
Carbon emissions from coal dropped 10 per cent over that period, while oil emissions dropped 11 per cent. The increased use of natural gas led to a 6 per cent rise in emissions, the report said.
'The net effect of these trends was that US carbon emissions dropped 7 percent in four years. And this is only the beginning,' the report said.
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