"US emissions of carbon dioxide and methane had dropped 20% from 2005 to 2024, with a few one- or two-year increases in the overall downward trend. Traditionally, carbon pollution has risen alongside economic growth, but efforts to boost cleaner energy in recent years decoupled the two, so emissions would drop as gross domestic product rose. But that changed last year with pollution actually growing faster than economic activity, said study co-author Ben King, a director in Rhodium's energy group."
"He estimated the US put 5.9bn tons (5.35bn metric tons) of carbon dioxide equivalent in the air in 2025, which is 139m tons (126m metric tons) more than in 2024. The cold 2025 winter meant more heating of buildings, which often comes from natural gas and fuel oil that are big greenhouse gas emitters, King said. A significant and noticeable jump in electricity demand from datacenters and cryptocurrency mining meant more power plants producing energy."
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas increased 2.4% in 2025 compared with 2024, reversing previous years' reductions. Total emissions rose by about 139 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to an estimated 5.9 billion tons (5.35 billion metric tons) in 2025. A cold winter raised building heating demand, while rapid growth in datacenters and cryptocurrency mining pushed electricity consumption and power-plant output. Higher natural gas prices contributed to a 13% increase in coal-fired generation. Emissions had fallen about 20% from 2005 to 2024 but grew faster than economic activity in 2025.
#greenhouse-gas-emissions #datacenters-and-cryptocurrency #coal-and-natural-gas #winter-heating-demand
Read at www.theguardian.com
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