U.S. greenhouse gas emissions spiked in 2018 — and it couldn’t happen at a worse time

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions rose an estimated 3.4 percent in 2018, according to new research — a jarring increase that comes as scientists say the world needs to be aggressively cutting its emissions to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change. The findings, published Tuesday by the independent economic research firm Rhodium Group, a Lab partner, mean that the United States now has a diminishing chance of meeting its pledge under the 2015 Paris climate agreement to dramatically reduce its emissions by 2025. Lab co-director Trevor Houser weighs in on what's driving the increase and where to focus mitigation efforts.