Carbon dioxide emissions increase by 1.7 percent.(OUTLOOK)

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels increased by 1.7 percent in 2004, from 5,796 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (MMTCO2) in 2003 to 5,896 MMTCO2 in 2004, according to preliminary estimates of the Energy Information Administration (see www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/flash/ flash.html). Carbon dioxide emissions per dollar of real gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of emissions intensity, declined by 2.6 percent in 2004, as the economy grew by 4.4 percent.

Total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions have grown by 18.2 percent over the 1990 to 2004 period. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions account for over 80 percent of U.S. …