You won’t find “fracking” in this story but it’s why the US has been able to shift from coal to natural gas with much lower greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.7 percent from 2016 levels in 2017 with emissions from large power plants falling 4.5 percent. Emissions of carbon dioxide (the largest component of greenhouse gases) on a per-capita basis hit a 67-year low in 2017. U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2017 are the lowest since 1992 and per-capita emissions are the lowest since 1950. According to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, “These achievements flow largely from technological breakthroughs in the private sector, not the heavy hand of government.”

In contrast, greenhouse gas emissions globally increased in 2017 and are set to increase to historic highs by the end of this year, despite the Paris climate accord. China leads the world in greenhouse gas emissions and India and other developing countries also contribute to the global increases.

Read more:

https://naturalgasnow.org/us-greenhouse-emissions-lowest-per-capita-since-1950/