N. America emits fourth of CO2 worldwide

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- North America's fossil fuel emissions are greater than 25 percent of global emissions, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program reported Tuesday.

"The North American Carbon Budget and Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle" report qualified North America's net contribution of carbon to the atmosphere, and catalogs sources and sinks, or absorbers, of carbon on the continent, CCSP said in a release.

The report said the single largest carbon contributor was conversion of fossil fuels to energy, followed by transportation. It also reported on how the growth of vegetation in North America absorbs large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.

"This information is critical to understanding the factors that shape our global climate," said Bill Brennan, CCSP acting director.

The 21 Climate Change Science Program reports should help scientists answer questions about climate change and help in decision-making on climate-related issues, Brennan said.

The report highlighted a better than three-to-one imbalance between the fossil fuel sources and the ability of vegetation to absorb carbon, resulting in a net release to the atmosphere. It also noted carbon absorption by vegetation is expected to decline as maturing forests grow more slowly and take up less carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.