U.S. Emissions Rise 4 Percent as Drivers Log a Record Number of Miles
U.S. carbon dioxide emissions rose by 4 percent in the first quarter, as American drivers hit the road in record numbers during the first three months of the year.
U.S. motorists logged 753 billion miles on the road through March, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. That’s the highest first-quarter tally since the federal authorities began keeping track in 1970.
The extra miles highlighted the continued recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and came in the face of a run-up in gasoline and diesel prices. In climate terms, the added miles helped drive the ongoing rally in U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, which rebounded by 6.2 percent in 2021 following a pandemic-induced plunge in 2020.
Carbon Monitor, an academic emissions tracking initiative, estimates U.S. CO2 emissions rose by 52 million tons in the first three months of 2022 compared to the same time last year, bringing total American emissions for the quarter to 1.3 billion tons.
“Just because prices are going up on everything doesn’t mean consumers are changing their behavior yet,” said John Larsen, a partner at the Rhodium Group, an economic consulting firm that tracks emissions. “Either people are not as price sensitive to gas prices as they were or they haven’t hit that wall yet.”
Analysts said one of the big questions going forward is whether sustained high prices will lead to changes in consumer behavior, prompting Americans to drive less or switch to other forms of transportation like electric vehicles.
It is too soon to say whether such a change is coming. Americans are buying EVs in record numbers. First-quarter EV sales rose by 76 percent year over year, according to Cox Automotive. The increase was especially notable given a 15 percent slump in overall vehicle sales during the quarter.
EV sales nevertheless represent a small portion of the U.S. auto market. Americans nearly bought as many Ford F-series pickup trucks (140,000) as EVs (173,000). Total first-quarter SUV sales, meanwhile, were almost 1.8 million while truck sales were around 649,000.
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U.S. Emissions Rise 4 Percent as Drivers Log a Record Number of Miles
Drivers tallied 753 billion miles in the first three months of the year, the highest total on record
www.scientificamerican.com