Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA). Electricity generation increased by 2.5%, and carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector increased even more, at 3%, indicating that U.S. utilities shifted towards energy sources that emitted more carbon. That shift was partially caused by a 40 billion kilowatt-hour decrease in hydropower production causing a greater reliance on fossil fuels like natural gas and coal. Carbon dioxide emissions from power plants fueled with natural gas increased by 10.5%, while coal-burning power plants increased their emissions by 1.8%. Paper is the fourth largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and one
Gas leak and carbon monoxide present in natural gas. The expression "canary in a coal mine" derives from the historical practice of using a canary as an animal sentinel to detect toxic naturally occurring coal gas. Methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, is up to 120 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon dioxide. Thus, the release of unburned natural gas produces much stronger effects than the carbon dioxide that would have been released if the gas had been burned as intended. In the United States, most state and federal agencies have adopted the Gas Piping and Technology Committee (GPTC)