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U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Released for Public Comment
Release Date: 03/03/2004
Contact Information:
Cynthia Bergman 202-564-7862 / [email protected]
(03/03/04) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a draft version of the “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2002” for a 30-day public comment period. The major finding in this year's report is that overall emissions increased slightly by 0.7 percent from 2001 to 2002. This increase was due primarily to moderate economic growth in 2002 that increased demand for electricity and fossil fuels. A secondary contributor included hot summer conditions in 2002, which also increased demand for electricity and fossil fuels. Overall, total U.S. emissions have risen by 13 percent from 1990 to 2002, while the U.S. economy has grown by 42 percent over the same period. Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases were 6,934 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2002. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. Fossil fuel combustion was the largest source of emissions, accounting for 81 percent of the total. The “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2002” is prepared annually by EPA, in collaboration with experts from a dozen other federal agencies, and is one of the most comprehensive analyses of greenhouse gases in the world. After EPA completes a final version of the document, the Department of State will submit the Inventory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). A Federal Register notice announcing a 30-day public comment period on the report was published on March 1, 2004. The report is available at:
https://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/emissions .
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