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Fact check: Scott Pruitt on U.S. carbon dioxide emissions

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President Trump announces that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.

July 12, 2017
By Taylor Kempema

President Donald Trump (R) announced on June 1 that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, in which signatories pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in an effort to limit climate change.[1]

In a June 4 appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt defended Trump's decision, noting that U.S. emissions were declining before the agreement. Pruitt said, "From 2000 to 2014, this country saw a reduction in CO2 emissions by over 18 percent through leadership, innovation, and technology."[2]

Is Pruitt correct that the United States reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by over 18 percent between 2000 and 2014?

Various sources quantify emissions in different ways. Some estimate gross emissions of CO2, some calculate CO2 equivalents, and others measure per capita emissions.[3]

In email correspondence with Ballotpedia, the EPA's Office of Policy said Pruitt was referring to per capita CO2 emissions (excluding other greenhouse gases). By that measure, U.S. per capita CO2 emissions fell by 18.1 percent between 2000 and 2014 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).[4][5] According to the World Bank, U.S. per capita CO2 emissions fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2013 (the latest data available).[6]

According to the EPA, gross greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. (measured as CO2 equivalents) fell by 7 percent between 2000 and 2014 and by 9 percent between 2000 and 2015.[7] According to the World Bank, gross greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents) fell by 9 percent between 2000 and 2012 (the latest data available).[8]

In the electric power sector, the single largest source of manmade greenhouse gases, there was a 17 percent reduction in CO2 emissions (excluding other GHGs) between 2000 and 2015, according to both the EIA and EPA.[9][10]

Background: The Paris Agreement

In April 2016, then-President Barack Obama (D) signed the Paris Climate Agreement at the United Nations. The agreement was never ratified because Obama did not submit it to the U.S. Senate for approval.

Signatories pledged to submit a nationally determined contribution plan outlining how they would pursue three primary goals:[11][12]

  • Limit any increase in the global average temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pursue further efforts to limit any temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels;
  • Increase the ability to adapt to any adverse impacts of human-caused climate change and limit carbon- and greenhouse gas-driven development in a way that does not threaten food production;
  • Finance low greenhouse gas emissions development through the Green Climate Fund, which would disburse up to $10.4 billion from industrialized countries to less-developed countries.

The United States pledged to reduce its emissions by 26-28 percent from 2005 levels by the year 2025 and to provide $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund.[11][13]

President Trump said that the agreement would reduce U.S. jobs, inhibit U.S. energy production of coal and other fossil fuels, and would have little effect on global temperatures.[1]

Measuring emissions

As noted by Pruitt, U.S. CO2 emissions per capita (excluding other GHGs) fell 18.1 percent between 2000 and 2014, from 20.7 metric tons (mt) to 16.9 mt, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.[4] The World Bank reports that U.S. CO2 emissions per capita (excluding other GHGs) fell 19 percent between 2000 and 2013, from 20.2 mt to 16.39 mt.[8] The EPA reports that U.S. CO2 emissions per capita (excluding other GHGs) fell 17 percent between 2000 and 2014.[14][15]

Gross GHG emissions (in CO2 equivalents) fell by 7 percent between 2000 and 2014, from 7.2 billion mt to 6.7 billion mt, according to the EPA. As of 2015, the latest data available from the agency, emissions fell to 6.6 billion mt in 2015, representing a 9 percent reduction from 2000.[14][16][17]

The World Bank reports a 9 percent reduction in U.S. gross greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents) between 2000 and 2012 (the latest data available), from 6.969 billion mt to 6.344 billion mt.[6] And the EIA estimates a 5 percent reduction between 2000 and 2009 (the latest data available from the agency), from 6.935 billion mt to 6.576 billion mt.[18][19]

The EIA also reports a 21 percent reduction in CO2 emissions (excluding other GHGs) in the electric power sector between 2000 and 2016, from 2,310 mt to 1,821 mt.[9][20]

Conclusion

President Trump announced on June 1 that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.[1] EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt claimed that the United States is committed to reducing emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, noting, "From 2000 to 2014, this country saw a reduction in CO2 emissions by over 18 percent through leadership, innovation, and technology."[2]

According to an EPA official, Pruitt was referring to per capita CO2 emissions. By that measure, emissions fell by 18.1 percent between 2000 and 2014, according to the EIA.[4][5]

U.S. gross greenhouse gas emissions (measured as CO2 equivalents) fell by 7 percent between 2000 and 2014 and by 9 percent between 2000 and 2015, according to the EPA.[7] According to the World Bank, gross greenhouse gas emissions (in CO2 equivalents) fell by 9 percent between 2000 and 2012 (the latest data available).[8]

See also

Sources and Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The White House, "Statement by President Trump on the Paris Climate Accord," June 1, 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 NBC News, "Meet the Press - June 4, 2017," June 4, 2017
  3. ↑ Gross emissions excludes "sinks", which refer to the process by which greenhouse gases are absorbed by vegetation and soil. To enable comparison of data, emissions of methane, ozone and other greenhouse gases can be converted to a carbon dioxide "equivalent," which reflects an amount of CO2 with the equivalent impact on global warming. Measuring per capita emissions accounts for changes in population.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Table 5. Per capita energy-related carbon dioxide emissions by state (2000-2014)," January 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Taylor Kempema, "Email communication with Sandy Germann, Communications Director for the Office of Policy at the Environmental Protection Agency," July 5, 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 World Bank, "CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita)," accessed June 22, 2017
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer - U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Gas, 1990-2015," accessed June 22, 2017
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 World Bank, "Total greenhouse gas emissions (kt of CO2 equivalent)," accessed June 25, 2017
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Table 12.6 Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Energy Consumption: Electric Power Sector," accessed June 16, 2017
  10. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer - U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Electricity Generation, 1990-2015," accessed June 22, 2017
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 United Nations Climate Change Newsroom, "Paris Agreement," accessed June 11, 2017
  12. ↑ Green Climate Fund, "About the Fund," accessed June 16, 2017
  13. ↑ The New York Times, "What Is the Green Climate Fund and How Much Does the U.S. Actually Pay?" June 2, 2017
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, 1990-2015," April 2017
  15. ↑ The EPA reports its data on per capita CO2 emissions as a numerical value to measure changes in emissions since 1990, which is used as a baseline year.
  16. ↑ The EPA calls this inventory a "comprehensive accounting of total greenhouse gas emissions for all man-made sources in the United States." It includes emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride.
  17. ↑ U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer - U.S. Emissions of Carbon Dioxide by Inventory Sector, 1990-2015," accessed June 22, 2017
  18. ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2009," March 2011
  19. ↑ 2009 is the latest year for which the EIA measured total gross greenhouse gas emissions.
  20. ↑ The EIA defines the electric power sector as the "energy-consuming sector that consists of electricity only and combined heat and power (CHP) plants whose primary business is to sell electricity, or electricity and heat, to the public".
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