US environmental figures show decrease in CO2 emissions

The annual air monitoring report from the US Environmental Protection Agency has revealed that fuel efficiency in new cars and light duty trucks has increased, which complemented decreasing figures in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

This decrease is the seventh annual reduction to be reported in the annual report Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends: 1975 Through 2011. Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said: “Today’s report shows that we are making significant strides toward saving families money at the pump, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cleaning up the air we breathe.”

The current administration under President Obama has projected that it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase fuel economy to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The first of these standards have already been implemented by the US Department for Transport and EPA, raising fuel efficiency to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.

The CO2 emission and fuel economy values are about 20 percent lower, on average, than those used for compliance with the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) program.

New high-resolution analysis of smog travelling across the Pacific has revealed that the contribution of Asian smog to pollution in US cities is higher than previously thought. Pollution in industrial countries such as China has caused great concern for global nations, with the effect clearly been seen far further than its own borders.