EPA Publishes Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

Greenhouse gas emissions increased by 1.4 percent in 2007 from the previous year, according to a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The report, entitled “Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007,” also notes that landfills accounted for approximately 23 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic methane emissions in 2007, making them the second largest source of such emissions in the country. Composting organic waste accounted for less than 1 percent of anthropogenic methane emissions.

The total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2007 were equivalent to 7,150 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride. The report says that overall emissions have grown by 17.2 percent from 1990 to 2007.