U.S. 2009 CO2 emissions: down 7%

The Energy Information Agency just reported that U.S. 2009 carbon dioxide emissions were down 7.0% compared to 2008 -- that's a drop of 405 Mmt.

"The large decline in emissions was driven by the economic downturn, combined with an ongoing trend toward a less energy-intensive economy and a decrease in the carbon-intensity of the energy supply," said EIA Administrator Richard Newell.

• GDP was down -2.4% in 2009.
• The energy intensity of the economy (energy consumed per dollar of GDP) was -2.4%
• The carbon intensity of the energy supply (carbon dioxide per unit of energy consumed) was down -2.3%.

The latter two factors led to a decline in the overall carbon intensity of the economy (carbon dioxide per dollar of GDP) of over 4.5 percent between 2008 and 2009