Fossil fuel spending projected to jump
Marylanders will spend up to $773 more per person on fossil fuels by 2030 if current trends in energy consumption continue, according to a new report from Environment Maryland.
That's a rise from $2,464 a person in 2006 up to $3,237 in 2030.
The report seeks to highlight the increasing costs of using fossil fuels for energy in the form of air and water pollution and climate change. About 85 percent of the U.S. energy supply comes from fossil fuels such as coal oil and natural gas.
The group is also pushing for the Senate to pass the energy bill recently passed by the House, which has a cap-and-trade system for pollution at its center.
Without change, the report says, the costs will be steep.
In 2006, U.S. consumers and businesses spent $921 billion on fossil fuels. That's close to 7 percent of America’s gross domestic product and more than is spent on education or the military. Last year, expenditures likely topped a record $1 trillion.
Is there something else you'd rather spend that money on?
Comments
I think the title of your blog post is misleading. The post is actually stating that spending on fossil fuels has gone up; not that actual consumption on fossil fuels has gone up. Both may be true (I didn't check) but your post certainly doesn't state that.
Posted by: rhanson | June 30, 2009 12:40 PM
I think the appropriate buzz phrase is "fossil fuel spending" which refers to the actual amount of money that American consumers and businesses spend on coal, oil, and natural gas, so I disagree that the blog post title is misleading. Besides, higher spending is a consequence of higher consumption - folks must spend more if they wish to consume more. If the title were "fossil fuel consumption is up" that would be a little like putting the chicken before the egg, right?
Posted by: Karen | June 30, 2009 5:01 PM