January 8, 2019 (BOSTON) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released the following statement today in response to a report suggesting carbon emissions in the United States rose sharply in 2018.
“This report speaks loud and clear—fracked gas is increasing our carbon emissions and harming our environment,” said Greg Cunningham, VP and Director of CLF’s Clean Energy and Climate Change program. “Coal’s sharp-dressed cousin is continuing us on a path to irreparable and costly climate damage. It is imperative that we shift our clean energy transition into high gear and accelerate our clean car standards to reverse this trend.”
The report found that after three years of steady decline, carbon emissions rose 3.4 percent in 2018, even as coal-fired plants are closing across the country. The surge is largely due to an increase in the consumption of fracked gas. In New England, for example, fracked gas dominates the region’s electricity supply. The transportation sector also continues to be the largest source of emissions, which helped fuel the increase.
CLF experts are available for comment.
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