EPA reports a rise in greenhouse gases

The report found that greenhouse gas emissions went up by 0.8 percent in 2005 over the previous year, which US officials noted was slightly lower than the average annual growth of such emissions over that 15-year period. But at least one environmentalist said the data underscore the continuing dangers of increasing greenhouse gas emissions, which scientists say contribute to global warming.

Emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the United States increased more than 16 percent from 1990 to 2005, including a spike in carbon dioxide emissions from cars, trucks, and coal plants, according to a US Environmental Protection Agency draft report released yesterday.