Slowly, we are making a difference...

The EPA has just released their US emissions and energy report for 2006, soliciting public commentary on it. The good news? The overall emissions for our nation was down 1.5% year over year. The bad news? We're still up 14.1% on emissions since 1990.

Let's take a look at where the reductions came from:

Two big areas immediately jump out at me, and I've highlighted them in yellow. First, emissions from transportation are down significantly. It's likely that high oil prices are forcing this down, but it's good to see the data trending in the right direction.

Second, and I believe most significantly, look at the data for residential emissions. Carbon emissions from residents have fallen below 1990 levels. That is stunning information. To me, this is demonstrable evidence that the conservation efforts are making a dent, and starting to make a difference.

Unfortunately, residential emissions are just a small piece of the emissions picture. We need more fuel efficient cars and we need to conserve power in industry and commercial sectors.

You can browse the overall EPA report here. It's a pretty good read.

Comments

[Sandy]

I'd like to believe that conservation efforts are making a change -- but isn't it also the case that the winters have been more mild and so people have needed less heat?