EPA Reports on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency has released its 17th annual inventory of overall emissions for six greenhouse gases. The total emissions for 2010, equivalent to 6,822 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, represent a 3.2 percent increase over 2009 levels. The EPA attributes the increase to increased energy consumption in all sectors of the economy, increased energy demand related to an expanding economy, and warmer weather during the summer of 2010. The report is the result of an EPA collaboration with other federal agencies and was forwarded to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.

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