Coal and trucks pushed US ‘further off track’ for climate targets in 2021

(CarbonBrief, 10 Jan 2022) US emissions surged by 6.2% last year, boosted by a renewed reliance on coal power amid soaring natural gas prices, according to the Rhodium Group.

After falling sharply in 2020 due to the economic impact of Covid-19, transport emissions also saw a significant uptick in 2021, buoyed by the return of freight trucks to the nation’s highways.

Preliminary data released by the research organisation also shows that renewables generated a fifth of US electricity last year, putting wind, solar, biomass and hydropower on a par with nuclear power for the first time in decades. 

This follows the largest drop in US emissions since World War II during the first year of Covid-19. Even with the rebound, 2021 emissions remained 5% below pre-pandemic levels.

Nevertheless, the Rhodium Group says that last year’s increase puts the nation “even further off track” from achieving its rapidly approaching emissions targets, as the Biden administration’s efforts to push climate legislation through Congress continue to falter

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CarbonBrief, 10 Jan 2022: Coal and trucks pushed US ‘further off track’ for climate targets in 2021