BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2. US emissions grew by 0.8% (or 36 Mt) to 4.7 Gt in 2022, Trend reports with reference to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
"The annual growth was much slower than 2021’s spurt but still a deviation from the previous decade’s declining trend. While most other countries shifted away from natural gas in the face of last year’s price spikes, the United States increased its consumption," reads the IEA report.
The report reveals that emissions from natural gas increased 89 Mt, more than supplanting the 69 Mt decline in coal emissions.
Emissions grew the most in the buildings sector, rising 26 Mt and far exceeding the last decade’s annual average growth (around 7 Mt per year). The jump was mostly caused by cold weather during the early months of the year. Power sector emissions decreased by 20 Mt, in large part thanks to solar PV and wind generation increasing by around 95 TWh. Without last year’s rise in renewables, power sector emissions would have been around 65 Mt CO2 higher. However, power generation contributed more than half of the growth in natural gas emissions, as the trend of coal-to-gas switching resumed after a strong coal rebound in 2021, with natural gas power plants meeting peak cooling demand during the summer’s heat waves.
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