U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 1975-2023, by sector

In 2023, the U.S. transportation sector produced about 1.9 billion metric tons of CO₂. While transportation has emerged as the largest source of CO₂ emissions from energy consumption since 2016, emissions from the electric power sector have experienced a notable decline. 

Evolving energy landscape

In 2023, the U.S. electric power sector, once the country’s largest source of CO₂ emissions, generated approximately 1.4 billion metric tons of CO₂, a 40 percent decrease from its peak emissions in 2007. This decline can be attributed to the country's shift towards cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas and renewables, and the phasing out of coal. This has seen U.S. electricity generation from coal decrease by more than 60 percent since 2010.

U.S. contributions to global power emissions

Despite the progress in reducing emissions from its power sector, the U.S. remains the second-largest emitter from electricity generation, globally, ranking only second behind China. However, the trajectories of these two countries electricity-related emissions differ considerably. While U.S. CO₂ emissions from electricity generation have decreased by about 30 percent since the turn of the century, China's have increased fivefold, owing to the country’s rapid economic growth.