U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.5 percent from 1997 to 1998, according to a draft report released for public comment by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Emissions rose from 1,827 to 1,834 million metric tons of total emissions, including carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydroflourocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexflouride.
The study also shows the largest source of all greenhouse gases to by carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, accounting for 80 percent of emissions in 1998.
Fossil fuel combustion was also responsible for 80 percent of total greenhouse emission growth from 1990 to 1998.
Another significant trend was that from 1990 to 1998 car, truck and other transportation emissions rose 14 percent, while total highway miles traveled climbed 21 percent.
The report, "Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-1998," is required of the United States under its responsibilities as a party to the Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was signed in June 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit.
Under the Framework Convention, the United States and other developed nations agreed to submit greenhouse gas emission reports annually to the Secretariat of the Convention.
The report can be found on EPA's Web site at www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/emissions