EPA Reports on U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions. (April 26, 2012)

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) reports that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released its report on  U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.  It's its 17th annual inventory of overall emissions for six greenhouse gases. The total emissions for 2010, equivalent to 6,822 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, represent a 3.2% increase over 2009 levels. The EPA attributes the increase to increased energy consumption in all sectors of the economy, increased energy demand related to an expanding economy, and warmer weather during the summer of 2010. The report is the result of an EPA collaboration with other federal agencies and was forwarded to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.

In contrast Science also reports: "Mexico's legislature passed a strong, new climate change law on 19 April. The law includes provisions to mitigate climate change and requires 35% of the country's energy to come from renewable sources by 2024. It also includes a mandate to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30% below current levels by 2020 and 50% below current levels by 2050. Mexico is now the second country in the world, after the United Kingdom, to have legally binding emissions goals intended to reduce the impacts of climate change."