U.S. Energy Emissions Set to Surge Most in More Than 30 Years

(Bloomberg) -- Greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. energy industry are on track to surge the most in more than three decades as utilities increasingly turn to coal to power the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Carbon emissions will swell 7% this year to 4.89 billion metric tons, according to government data released Tuesday, the biggest increase since at least 1990. Coal’s share of the U.S. power mix will increase to 23%, up from 20% last year, as high natural gas prices prompt utilities to burn more of the dirtiest fossil fuel.

The report follows a landmark United Nations paper Monday warning that without drastic efforts to curb carbon emissions, the planet is on track to warm by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next two decades, triggering catastrophic shifts in global weather patterns.

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