Topic: united states

The Southeast region’s share of GHG emissions is rapidly increasing as GHG emissions growth outpaces the national average.

Notes: Totals do not include emissions from land-use change and forestry o

Energy use is the largest driver of GHG emissions, primarily the burning of fossil fuels in the electricity generation, transportation, and industrial sectors.

Notes: Industrial, residential, and c

In the Southeast from 1997 to 2006, total fossil fuel consumption increased approximately 14 percent, outpacing the national average rate of 5 percent growth.

As of 2006, the Southeast relied on fossil fuel sources for approximately 80 percent of its total energy consumption (see chart), a total that is similar to, but slightly below, the national average o

Energy efficiency is significantly cheaper than producing electricity with new power plants (see chart) and offers additional economic and environmental benefits.

Note: Levelized costs attempt to p

This chart shows near-term energy efficiency potential in the Southeast, compared to DOE projections for electricity consumption through 2015.

Nuclear power plants withdraw and consume the largest amounts of water, followed by power plants that use fossil fuels (coal or oil), biomass, or waste.

Nearly 40 billion gallons are withdrawn each day from Southeast freshwater supplies for thermoelectric power plants–about 65 percent of all withdrawals.