US carbon pollution up 2 percent in 2013

WASHINGTON (AP) A new government report says energy-related carbon dioxide pollution increased slightly last year after declining for several years in a row. The 2 percent increase was largely due to a small increase in coal consumption in the electric power sector.

Coal, long the dominant source for U.S. electricity, has regained some market share in recent months as natural gas prices have increased following historic lows in 2012.

A report by the Energy Information Administration says American cars and factories spewed 5.38 billion tons of carbon dioxide in 2013, up from 5.27 billion in 2012. Carbon dioxide is the chief man-made global warming gas.

Even with the uptick, the EIA says overall U.S. carbon emissions remained 10 percent below 2005 levels.

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