Greenhouse 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. “Growth has been stalled due to the unexpected and unprecedented worldwide demand impacts of Covid-19 coupled with the disruptive actions of the ongoing dispute between OPEC + nations,” Shaylyn Hynes, an Energy Department spokeswoman said in a statement.
The Energy Information Administration forecast energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions to increase by 3.6 in 2021 as the economy recovers.