U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose in 2013

Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions rose in 2013 due to a slight increase in the usage of coal for energy. Photo by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The U.S. Energy Information Administration says that energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the country increased two percent in 2013, up from a 2012 low point.

The EIA cites a slight increase in the use of coal by energy companies for the rise in emissions. Natural gas, which emits less carbon than coal when burned, had been widely adopted by electric utilities due to record-low price drops. Price hikes in 2013 due to further demand, however, fueled a small increase of coal and a small decrease in natural gas usage.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Short-Term Energy Outlook, January 2014

The rise puts the current level of carbon dioxide emissions around 10 percent below the 2005 level. An Obama Administration goal calls for an emissions level of 17 percent below 2005’s level by 2020.