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The Conversation

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Since 1995, the U.S. economy has more than doubled, yet the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone down.

Keep that in mind as climate change returns to the news over the coming weeks, with leaders from countries around the world gathering for the 30th annual U.N. climate conference in Brazil. Globally, emissions are still rising, and temperatures are rising with them. The international goals that almost every country in the world agreed to 10 years ago in the Paris climate agreement seem far away.

Yet countries have been making progress − some of it without really trying.

The U.S. is an example. Valerie Thomas, an engineer at Georgia Tech, explains some of the shifts that allowed emissions to fall at the same time the economy and population grew. Her charts tell a story about power and money.

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Stacy Morford

Senior Environment, Climate and Energy Editor

Wind power near Dodge City, Kan. Halbergman/iStock/Getty Images Plus

How the US cut climate-changing emissions while its economy more than doubled

Valerie Thomas, Georgia Institute of Technology

A fast drop in coal use played a big role, but there was more, as these charts show.

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