Energy-related carbon emissions hit a 20-year low in the US during the first quarter of the year, according to new figures from the government’s Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The report reveals that CO2 emissions from energy consumption reached 1.34 billion tonnes over the first three months of the year, marking a drop of nearly eight per cent on the same period during 2011.

The EIA said that the performance marked the lowest level of carbon emissions for the first quarter of the year since 1992, attributing the rapid decline in emissions to a mild winter, reduced gasoline demand, and the scaling back of coal-fired power in favour of new gas capacity.

The figures will be seized upon by supporters of the gas industry, who argue that America’s shale gas boom has delivered environmental benefits by replacing more carbon-intensive coal-fired power.

The EIA said that quarterly carbon emissions from coal were down 18 per cent year-on-year to 387 million metric tonnes – the lowest first quarter level since 1983 and the lowest level for any quarter since the second quarter of 1986.

The trend is set to continue with the EIA reporting last month that up to 27GW of coal-fired capacity could be retired by 2016.

However, climate scientists and green groups remain deeply concerned that while the switch to gas will deliver reductions in overall emissions it will fail to deliver the deep cuts necessary to curb climate change risks, arguing that new investment in gas infrastructure will lock the US into high levels of emissions for decades to come.

The latest figures come just days after the International Energy Agency (IEA) released new data showing that global coal production rose by 6.6 per cent last year, while natural gas production rose two per cent and oil production climbed one per cent.

“While coal production only increased by 0.8 per cent in OECD member countries, non-OECD production climbed by nine per cent, with China taking over from Japan as the world’s largest importer, and Indonesia becoming the world’s largest exporter, surpassing Australia,” the IEA stated.

The report also revealed that renewable energy’s share of total energy supplies rose to 8.2 per cent in OECD countries last year, an increase on the 7.8 per cent recorded in 2010.