Ted Wright 11/7/07 SOC 120

The United States has been the world largest producer of carbon dioxide emissions for decades. As a result of increased energy requirements, increased volume of automobiles, and several other factors, the United States has been increasing the amount of carbon dioxide it produces over the same time period. This figure is affected by many factors, and so it is not surprising to see fluctuations on a year to year basis.

In 2003, the Environmental Information Association, reports, 6,935.7 Metric Tons were produced. This is a 0.7% increase over the previous year, and a 13.4% increase over the figures for 1990. ¹ The average annual increase, according to this report, is 1.0% per year over the preceding thirteen years.

Although the amount of carbon dioxide emitted has been rising, year to year fluctuations occur. In 1991, emissions dropped fifty million metric tons from the previous year, and then increased 116 million metric tons in 1992. Likewise, 2001 saw an eighty-nine million metric ton decrease, followed by a forty-eight million metric ton increase.² These fluctuations can be the result of many things. The EIA says that one factor is increased energy cost. When the cost of energy increases, demand for it is suppressed. Following the nvisible hand, less energy is produced, and less carbon dioxide is produced.

The number of automobiles in the United States has been increasing at a rate between 3-5 percent over the past ten years.³ The population growth rate, in contrast, is

0.9 percent. ⁴ These two figures represent factors that would lead to a positive correlation with increasing emissions of carbon dioxide. If all other factors are held constant, the growth in population would be seen as in line with the increase in carbon dioxide emissions. The growth rate in automobiles, however, would suggest a larger growth rate. This is an important question for sociology: why is the carbon dioxide growth rate comparatively low? It could be that increased awareness of greenhouse gases have led to measures to reduce emissions. This could mean that society as a whole is drifting to a more environmentalist state.

1

EIA. Executive Summary of the Carbon Dioxide Emmissions 2003, http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/archive/gg04rpt/summary/pdf/0573(2003)es.pdf

2

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html

3

Automotive Digest, Growth Rate of US Aftermarket. http://www.automotivedigest.com/research/research_results.asp?sigstats_id=951

4

Rosenberg, Matt. Population Growth Rates and Doubling Time. http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/populationgrow.htm