Ahead of Earth Day, an Energy In Depth analysis of the latest government data shows that U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide and three air pollutants responsible for millions of deaths worldwide have significantly declined since the shale revolution began. This is a trend that multiple reputable third parties agree can be traced directly to increased natural gas use made possible by hydraulic fracturing.

U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data show that natural gas consumption increased 25 percent from 2005 to 2016. During that same timespan, the most recent EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have declined 13 percent, while overall greenhouse gas emissions are at their lowest levels since 1992. The latest EPA data also show that sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter emissions are down 82, 49 and 32 percent, respectively, since 2005.

Read the full blog post on EIDClimate.org.