America crowns a new pollution king

Carbon dioxide emissions from transportation exceeded those from electricity production in 2016 for the first time since 1978

For the first time in 40 years, power plants are no longer the biggest source of US greenhouse gas pollution. That dubious distinction now belongs to the transport sector: cars, trucks, planes, trains and boats.  

The big reversal didn’t happen because transportation emissions have been increasing. In fact, since 2000, the US has experienced the flattest stretch of transportation-related pollution in modern record keeping, according to data compiled by the US Energy Information Administration. The big change has come from the cleanup of America’s electric grid. 

Carbon dioxide emissions from transportation exceeded those from electricity production in 2016 for the first time