EPA: Greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2012

Greenhouse gas emissions fell in the United States by 3.4 percent in 2012 from the previous year, the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

The EPA’s annual report on greenhouse gases found a 10 percent drop since 2005.

{mosads}The agency attributed the decline to decreases in energy consumption among all sectors in the economy, the switch to natural gas from coal in electricity generation, increased fuel efficiency in transportation and limited demand for passenger transportation.

The 2012 inventory includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride, the EPA said. Together, the emissions were equivalent to 6,526 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Electricity generation accounted for 32 percent, the largest portion, of the emissions, followed by transportation and industry.