Causes of global warming - some statistics

U.S. energy consumption


America is by far the world’s largest consumer of energy. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, the United States consumed about 22% of all the energy used in the world in 2004. We use more energy each year than all the nations of Western Europe combined, and we use about two-thirds more energy than China, though China’s consumption of energy is rising fast.

Although the U.S. represents less than 5% of the world’s population, we produce about 25% of global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels, primarily because we meet 85% of our energy needs through burning fossil fuels. Of the over 85% of energy the U.S. uses from fossil fuels, 40% comes from petroleum and about 23% each from coal and natural gas. Nuclear electric power accounts for another 8% of the U.S.’s total energy consumption. Despite America’s vast potential for energy from the sun, wind, crops and other renewable sources, renewable energy currently accounts for a mere 6% of our total energy use. In 2005, hydroelectric power accounted for just under half (45%) of the total energy from renewable resources, followed by wood, waste, geothermal, alcohol fuels, wind and solar.

"While most people associate global warming primarily with vehicle exhaust, electricity generation is the leading source of U.S. carbon dioxide (C02) emissions – the most important heat-trapping gas. Our coal plants already emit more CO2 than all our cars, SUVs, trucks, buses, boats, trains, and airplanes combined, and the U.S. Department of Energy projects that CO2 emissions from coal, if left unchecked, will increase an additional 52 percent by 2030 (compared with 2003 levels)." "About 40 percent of it is used to fuel power plants that supply electricity to power our homes, businesses and industry. Another 28 percent is used to power our transportation system, with most of that energy used to fuel personal cars, light trucks and SUVs. Industry directly consumers about 21 percent of our energy, not counting electricity produced from electric power plants and consumed by industrial facilities. Home and business energy consumption round out the picture."

Electricity consumption – U.S. and Indiana


According to the EIA, coal is used to produce 50% of U.S. electric generation. In contrast, coal is used to produce almost 95% of electric generation in Indiana.

Though a mere 7% of the energy the U.S. uses comes from the sun, wind, crops and other renewable resources, even less - only 1.5% - of Indiana’s energy is produced from renewable resources, most of that from biomass for ethanol blend in gasoline. Indiana ranks 15th in the nation in terms of state population; however, it ranks 4th in the nation in terms of the number of megawatt hours1 of electricity generated from coal as opposed to other energy sources (i.e., natural gas, petroleum, nuclear power, renewable resources), and 3rd in the nation in terms of the total number of megawatt hours of electricity generated from coal (surpassed only by Texas – ranked 2nd in the nation in terms of state population - and Ohio – ranked 7th in state population).

In terms of fossil fuel consumption for electricity generation, Indiana ranks 2nd in the nation in the number of short tons2 of coal consumed on an annual basis, surpassed only by Texas.

Coal and greenhouse gas emissions


"In the 1950s, most coal was consumed in the industrial sector, many homes were still heated by coal, and the transportation sector consumed coal in steam-driven trains and ships. By the 1960s, most coal was used for generating electricity. In 2005, the electric power sector accounted for 92% of all coal consumption." According to the Environmental Law and Policy Center, "[t]he Midwest has the largest concentration of old, dirty coal plants that produce large amounts of CO2 which cause global warming, and the Midwest is the center of the United States' transportation industry. The Midwest is the most important region in the most important country in the world when it comes to solving our global warming problems."

Combined, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin account for 20% of the carbon dioxide pollution in the United States and 5% of the world’s total pollution. Indiana is the 5th largest producer of carbon dioxide air emissions from electric power plants in the United States (122,094,588 metric tons), almost 95% of which is produced from burning coal. Texas ranks 1st in CO2 air emissions from electric power plants (258,660,697), Ohio 2nd (131,831,144), Florida 3rd (130,324,815), and Pennsylvania 4th (126,712,616).

In addition, Indiana ranks 3rd in the nation in terms of the number of metric tons of sulfur dioxide air emissions (responsible for fine particle pollution and acid rain - neighboring Ohio ranks 1st), and 4th in terms of the number of metric tons of toxic nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere (responsible for acid rain and smog - neighboring Ohio ranks 2nd). Most alarming, Indiana ranks 1st in the nation for the amount of carbon dioxide emissions per person from all Indiana energy sectors.

Major Indiana sources of CO2 emissions


Twenty-five coal-burning electric power plants provide the major source of CO2 emissions in Indiana, representing 77% of all such emissions (natural gas-burning sources produce just under 20% in additional CO2 air emissions, while major Indiana industries and institutions produce another 2.6%). The largest of Indiana’s coal-fired power plants is Duke Energy Indiana’s Gibson Plant in Southwestern Indiana (Gibson County), which accounts for almost 16% of total CO2 emissions for all coal-burning electric power plants in Indiana. Along with its coal-burning plants in Vermillion (Cayuga), Knox (Edwardsport), Floyd (R. Gallagher) and Vigo (Wabash River) Counties, Duke Energy contributes over 28% of total CO2 air emissions from electric power plants in Indiana each year.

Duke Energy’s contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in Indiana will grow by more than 3.5 million additional tons of CO2 per year should the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) approve Duke Energy Indiana and Vectren’s petition to build a 630 megawatt (MW) Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (IGCC) power plant in Edwardsport, Indiana.3 Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, Inc., sister agency to the Citizens Action Coalition Education Fund, opposes construction of this plant, instead urging the IURC to direct Duke to begin investing in cleaner, more economic energy efficiency and renewable power alternatives.

38.4% of all CO2 air emissions in Indiana come from coal-fired power plants located in just five counties in Southwestern Indiana. This number increases to 42.9% when major natural gas-burning and industrial sources are included.4 Major sources of CO2 emissions in Central Indiana include Indianapolis Power & Light Company’s Harding Street coal-burning electric generation facility, which produces 3,687,128 tonnes5 of CO2 per year, Indianapolis-based industries including the Damler-Chrysler Corporation Foundry (5,486,660 tonnes/year) and the C.C. Perry K. Steam Plant (797,331 tonnes/year), Duke Energy-Noblesville’s natural gas-burning plant in Hamilton County (208,762 tonnes/year) and Steel Dynamics, Inc., (SDI) Bar Products natural gas-burning plant in Hendricks County (105,524 tonnes/year). Just under 10% of all CO2 air emissions in Indiana come from electric power plants and major industries in Lake, Porter and LaPorte Counties in Northwestern Indiana. Over 16% of all CO2 air emissions in Indiana come from electric generation facilities and major industries in Vermillion, Vigo and Sullivan Counties in West-Central Indiana.


1A megawatt hour is a measure of energy production or consumption equal to one million watts, or one thousand kilowatts, produced or consumed for one hour.

2A "short ton" is how the U.S. has historically measured units of coal. A short ton equals 2,000 pounds, and is equivalent to .90719 metric tons. Most other nations use metric units of measure.

3While the IGCC technology will reduce some emissions, it will increase others because it will be operating much more frequently than the power plants that will be shut down. Carbon dioxide emissions will increase by 785%; lead emissions by 14,555%; carbon monoxide emissions by 1,480%; particulate matter by 297%; and volatile organic compounds by 678%. Complete information on CAC’s opposition to the IGCC plant is available at www.citact.org.

4The counties are Pike, Gibson, Spencer, Warrick and Posey.

5A tonne refers to a metric unit of measurement in wide use outside the U.S. One metric tonne of CO2 equals 1.102 short tons.


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