Another big part of the emissions of greenhouse gases is electricity consumption, otherwise known as energy conservation.

July 26, 2016
By James Osborne

The almost decade-long decline (click here) in U.S. energy consumption continued in 2015.

According to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, overall energy use fell to 97,523 trillion British thermal units – contributing to a 3.5 percent decline since energy use peaked in 2007.

From tighter miles-per-gallons standards on cars to buildings with thicker glass and less wasteful cooling and heating systems, governments in Europe and the United States have been steadily mandating greater efficiency.

The losses in energy use were almost entirely felt by the coal sector, which saw its domestic consumption rate fall by 12 percent. Even as Americans used less energy overall in 2015, consumption of energy generated from petroleum and natural gas rose 2 percent and 3 percent respectively.

Renewable energy use rose 1 percent, and nuclear was relatively flat, according to the government report.