U.S. already leads the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

WASHINGTON — The U.S. natural gas and oil industry is meeting the climate challenge head-on, investing in high-tech innovation, efficiency improvements and cleaner fuels.

The U.S. leads the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide emissions in the United States have plunged to their lowest level in a generation, while CO2 emissions around the globe have risen 50 percent since 1990.

As the American Enterprise Institute reported, 2017 marked the ninth time this century we’re reduced emissions more than any other nation.

How did we do it? Increased use of natural gas in power generation is the single biggest factor. With technological advances unlocking previously inaccessible natural gas reserves, the affordable, reliable fuel has become the leading source for electricity generation — reducing carbon emissions to levels not seen since 1992.

It’s not just carbon. The combined emissions of six key air pollutants dropped 73 percent between 1970 and 2017 even while GDP soared 262 percent and energy consumption rose 44 percent increased.

Tailpipe emissions have plunged thanks to advances in clean fuels and vehicle technology. New cars, trucks, SUVs and heavy-duty trucks and buses run about 99 percent cleaner than models produced in 1970, according to the EPA helping reduce pollution even as vehicle miles traveled nearly tripled.

It’s important to recognize this success — not as a victory lap, but as a roadmap. If we draw the right conclusions, we can build on our progress.

For starters, the trend lines convincingly show that energy development and environmental progress are not mutually exclusive. Key emissions have dropped as oil and natural gas production has skyrocketed, generating a slew of economic benefits.

If there’s a common thread in the promising emissions reduction data, it’s innovation.

The oil and natural gas industry has invested an estimated $339 billion from 1990 — 2016 toward improving the environmental performance of its products, facilities and operations — $1,045 for every man, woman and child in the United States.

One result: EPA data show that natural gas system methane emissions decreased 16.3 percent while natural gas production jumped more than 51 percent between 1990 and 2015.

The energy industry formed The Environmental Partnership last year to build on that progress through collaboration and targeted actions including repairing leaks and replacing or retrofitting equipment. More than 50 of the nation’s oil and gas producers have joined so far.

The oil and natural gas industry has worked with regulators in support of smart regulations. The most effective regulations share two characteristics.

One, they recognize existing success and harness, not hinder, the innovations responsible. Two, they’re based on sound science.

In the case of energy, that means acknowledging that natural gas and oil will supply an estimated 64 percent of the energy the U.S. uses in 2050, even under optimistic scenarios for renewables, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Any regulatory policy not based on that reality risks raising consumer costs and jeopardizing U.S. energy security. Given the signals from House Democrats that environmental regulations will be a focus when they take control in the new Congress next year, those are important facts to keep in mind.

As a recent American president noted: “The all-of-the-above energy strategy I announced a few years ago is working, and today, America is closer to energy independence than we’ve been in decades.”

That was President Barack Obama, speaking in 2014, and he added that natural gas “can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.”

The same formula that worked then — an “all-of-the-above” approach bolstered by natural gas and innovation — is still working to reduce emissions without sacrificing jobs and affordable energy. We have a road map to success.

By following it, the United States can continue its remarkable streak: breaking records in both energy production and emissions reduction. Kyle Isakower serves as vice president for Regulatory and Economic Policy at the American Petroleum Institute. He holds a master’s degree in Earth Science from Adelphi University and bachelor’s degree in biology-geology from the University of Rochester. Readers may write him at API, 1220 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005-4070