US 'can become a world leader in cutting carbon pollution'

The US is capable of becoming a world leader in cutting carbon pollution, it has been claimed.

Founder and president of the non-profit group the Earth Policy Institute Lester Brown told Environment News Service that figures relating to the country's CO2 emissions in the past four years are encouraging.

Since 2007, the US has managed to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels such as coal and oil, with pollution output from the former being trimmed by ten per cent and the latter by 11 per cent.

Although emissions from natural gas use were up by six per cent during the same period, the overall release of harmful gases has fallen by seven per cent in total.

Mr Brown believes if this trend continues the US could feasibly reduce its carbon emissions by 20 or 30 per cent by 2020.

Independent European organisation Transport & Environment recently urged the US to focus on reducing the amount of pollution created by its airlines.

Posted by Joseph Hutton