One way to combat climate change: Tank the economy

The period between 2008 and 2009 saw the largest decrease in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 20 years, Tiffany Stecker says at Climatewire, and the lousy economy gets part of the credit.

That was hardly the only reason: Better technology, recycling of industrial materials, higher prices for coal and lower costs for natural gas also contributed, Stecker reports. But the Environmental Protection Agency also cites the poor economy as a factor, she says.

Overall, greenhouse gas emissions declined 6 percent during the period, the EPA reported. Over the past 20 years, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have increased steadily by about 0.4 percent annually.