New data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows carbon dioxide emissions from coal in Pennsylvania continuing a decades long downward trend.
The numbers measuring emissions in 2021 place Pennsylvania seventh in the rankings of highest polluters, behind Texas, Indiana, West Virginia, North Dakota, Kentucky, and Illinois. Carbon dioxide emissions primarily from power plants were at 45.9 million metric tons in ’21, up from the pandemic year of 2020 by more than ten million metric tons, but with that one exception, they were down year-to-year in every year going back to 1970. In the last 51 years, the emissions dropped over 71 percent from 158.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
While emissions from coal were at 45.9 million metric tons in 2021, carbon emissions from natural gas were almost twice as much, at 97.6 million metric tons, and emissions from gasoline were at 70 million.
In total carbon emissions from all pollutants, Pennsylvania was fourth in the nation with 213.5 million metric tons. Texas emitted 663.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2021. California was second at 324 million, and Florida was third, at 226.3 million metric tons.
Comments