GHG emissions in the U.S. - statistics & facts
The United States is responsible for releasing billions of tons of planet-warming gases into the atmosphere every year. While the U.S. is now the world's second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases (GHGs), having been overtaken by China in the mid-2000s, the North American country has produced more cumulative carbon dioxide (CO₂) than any other nation to date. As such, the U.S. is considered the largest contributor to human-caused climate change.
America’s emissions reductions over the past two decades have, in large part, been due to changes in the country’s power industry. At the turn of the century, power generation was the largest source of U.S. emissions. But a shift away from coal-fired power in favor of natural gas and renewable energy sources like solar PV and wind has resulted in emissions from this sector to fall by more than 35 percent since 2005. By comparison, emissions from transportation, which is now the most carbon-polluting U.S. sector, fell just seven percent during this time.
U.S. CO₂ emissions trends
From 1990 to 2005, U.S. CO₂ emissions from energy consumption increased by almost 20 percent to six billion metric tons (GtCO₂). Since then, the country has managed to slash its emissions by more than 17 percent. The biggest annual reduction during this period was in 2020, when the outbreak of COVID-19 caused CO₂ levels to plummet 11 percent year-on-year to their lowest level in almost four decades. While emissions have rebounded since then, they remained below pre-pandemic levels in 2022.America’s emissions reductions over the past two decades have, in large part, been due to changes in the country’s power industry. At the turn of the century, power generation was the largest source of U.S. emissions. But a shift away from coal-fired power in favor of natural gas and renewable energy sources like solar PV and wind has resulted in emissions from this sector to fall by more than 35 percent since 2005. By comparison, emissions from transportation, which is now the most carbon-polluting U.S. sector, fell just seven percent during this time.
