The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released its annual report on energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. The report credits increased natural gas usage as the primary reason the United States leads the world in CO2 reductions since 2005.

According to the EIA report, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions fell by 47 million metric tons in 2017 as compared to the prior year. In the same time period, the U.S. economy grew by 2.3 percent.

The report states that “growth in natural gas consumption contributed to the overall 2017 decline in carbon intensity and emissions,” thanks to natural gas being far less carbon intensive than other traditional fuels.

According to the report, natural gas is responsible for 61 percent of the total 3.86 billion metric tons of electric generation CO2 reductions since 2005.

Read the full report here.