America’s greenhouse gas emissions fell 1.9 percent in 2023 primarily because the burning of coal to produce electricity fell to its lowest level in decades. The estimates were published last week in a report by research firm Rhodium Group. New York Times said the decline means that U.S. emissions have fallen about 17.2 percent since 2005. The Times added, “America’s emissions have been trending downward as power plants and cars have gotten cleaner.”
Researchers at Rhodium looked at emissions generated by transportation, electricity, industry and buildings, but did not include pollution from agriculture. Rhodium analyst Ben King told CNN climate pollution was at its lowest level since 1991. CNN said continued cutbacks on coal energy have a big impact on U.S. climate pollution. No new coal plants are being built in the U.S., and many utilities are retiring aging and costly power plants that were built in the 1970s and 1980s.