Mining, Fracking, and Drilling Have Changed Public Lands from Carbon Sinks to Carbon Polluters

A report released Thursday by the Center for American Progress finds that our nation’s forests, parks, grasslands, and other onshore public lands in the continental United States are the source of 4.5 times more carbon pollution than they are able to naturally absorb.

This imbalance is primarily due to the large quantities of coal, oil, and natural gas that are extracted from public lands.  42.1 percent of the country’s coal, 26.2 percent of its oil, and 17.8 percent of its natural gas are currently sourced from public lands both onshore and offshore.

Mining, Fracking, and Drilling Have Changed Public Lands from Carbon Sinks to Carbon Polluters