Thank capitalism (and fracking): Carbon emissions down 20%, falling faster than Europe

Despite American aversion to sweeping international environmental treaties and regulation, the American economy has slashed carbon emissions.

Don’t thank forward-thinking government action, though – the decrease has been driven by market efficiencies and fracking.

“As a nation, the United States reduced its carbon emissions by 2 percent from last year. Over the past 14 years, our carbon emissions are down more than 10 percent. On a per-unit-of-GDP basis, U.S. carbon emissions are down by closer to 20 percent,” Stephen Moore wrote for Real Clear Politics. “Even more stunning: We’ve reduced our carbon emissions more than virtually any other nation in the world, including most of Europe.”

Fracking, which has produced massive amounts of natural gas, has cut into America’s reliance on coal for electricity. As natural gas is cleaner, the switch has driven down emissions.

At one point, environmentalists embraced natural gas as  a “bridge fuel to a low-carbon energy future,” according to Reason. Until renewable energy sources become more efficient and much cheaper, natural gas could reduce carbon emissions and the overall environmental impact of American energy use. That success has backfired, though. With natural gas so much cheaper than renewable energy, it’s regarded as a threat.