US carbon emissions have decreased

John Hanger’s Facts of the Day : Since the beginning of 2012, carbon emissions have been decreasing and, by year end, may drop to 1990 levels, according to the US Energy Information Administration’s June 2012 monthly energy review . In his blog, John Hanger—a nationally recognized expert on environment, energy, and green-economy issues—discusses the reasons for the surprising finding: rising renewable energy production, greater fuel efficiency, and the increasing use of natural gas instead of coal in electricity generation. In fact, not only has the revolution in shale-gas production “slashed carbon emissions,” it has also “saved consumers more than $100 billion per year,” says Hanger.