WASHINGTON — New U.S. Energy Department figures show the biggest jump ever in heat-trapping carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere last year.
That means levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago when they warned about the pace of manmade global warming. The increase in emissions was spurred by big pollution surges from China and India, which are building more coal-fired power plants.
Energy Department officials say an improving world economy in 2010 also contributed. China is the world’s top producer of greenhouse gases, followed by the United States and India.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.