In 2018, carbon emissions from the U.S. energy sector showed the largest increase in the past eight years

According to a study published Tuesday by research firm Rhodium Group, U.
S.
carbon dioxide emissions increased
significantly in 2018.
From 2017 to 2018, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions increased by 3.
4 percent, which would be the largest increase in the U.
S.
since 2010
.

The estimate is based on U.
S.
government energy statistics and other public and private data
on oil consumption and power generation for the first 8 to 9 months of the year.

The study shows that the share of coal is gradually declining, and a record
number of coal power plant closures have been recorded in 2018.
But for the most part, natural gas replaces coal, not wind turbines or solar
.
Natural gas emits fewer greenhouse gases than coal, but it contributed to much of the growth in electricity demand last year, outpacing solar and wind
.

For the third year in a row, fuel consumed by the transportation sector was the largest source
of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States.
Emissions have increased due to trucking and air travel, while CO2 pollution from personal cars has stabilized
compared to 2017.

The report covers energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, which account for three-quarters of all greenhouse gases emitted in the United States (methane, for example, is another gas that causes global warming).

The Environmental Protection Agency will publish official data
on total greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
However, the trend is clear
.
"The U.
S.
has gone off track in meeting its Paris Agreement goals, and the gap into 2019 is even wider
," the report said.
”