The Energy Information Administration projects that CO2 emissions will rise 1.3 percent in 2011, based partly on increased use of coal in the utility sector.
That, and continued economic growth that will lead to a rebound in travel-related petroleum consumption, are responsible for the estimated hike in CO2.
The January report projected CO2 emissions from fossil fuels to rise 1.5 percent in 2010. That estimate has not changed.
However, the 2011 estimate represents a drop from what EIA said in January, when it called for a 1.7 percent emissions hike in 2011.
Even with the projected rise of emissions, 2011 should be a lower-emissions year than any on record from 1999-2008, according to the EIA, which is part of the Department of Energy.
