U.S. Slashes Carbon Emissions Forecast as People Stay Home
- Climate-warming emissions to fall from power plants, vehicles
- Energy Department releases projections of emissions for 2020
Vehicles drive in light traffic along the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California on March 19.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/BloombergGreenhouse gas emissions from power plants, cars and other sources in the U.S. are forecast to decline by a whopping 7.5% this year as people use less energy amid a slowing economy and stay-at-home restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus, according to Energy Department data released Tuesday.
The decrease in energy-related carbon dioxide emissions -- a category that includes electric power generation and transportation fuel use -- comes as the department’s Energy Information Administration cut its oil output forecast by more than one million barrels a day while estimating gasoline consumption in the U.S. would reach some of the lowest levels in 20 years.