Lorianne,
If one reads the entire article they do touch on that point, but acknowledge it is overall a minor thing. Not as major a player as you think.
How can it be a minor thing?
Economic activity = energy use.
That’s just a basic fact.
from the article : “the U.S. has observed substantial reductions in CO2 emissions over the LAST FIVE YEARS”
Coincidence? I think not.
Plus, the author does not seem to factor in the oil/coal energy used to extract natural gas from shale plus transportation costs.