svEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
430-F-24-003
DATA
HIGHLIGHTS
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas
Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022
HIGHLIGHTS OF
RECENTTRENDS
¦ In 2022, net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were
5,489 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent (MMT CO2 Eq.).
¦ Overall, net emissions increased by 1 percent
since 2021 due to the continued rebound of
economic activity after the height of the COVID-19
pandemic.
¦ Net emissions were 17 percent below 2005 levels.
The decline is mostly due to a shift to less CO2-
intensive natural gas and a rapid increase in the
use of renewable energy in the electric power
sector.
¦ Transportation activities accounted for the largest
portion (28 percent) of total U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions in 2022.
¦ Emissions from electric power accounted for the
second largest portion (25 percent), while
emissions from industry accounted for the
third largest portion (23 percent).
¦ Carbon sequestration from the Land Use, Land-
Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector offset
15 percent of total emissions in 2022.
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TRENDS IN U.S. GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS
Overall, from 1990 to 2022, total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO.-) decreased by 2 percent, total emissions of methane (CH4) decreased by 19 percent,
and total emissions of nitrous oxide (N20) decreased by 5 percent, During the same period, emissions of fluorinated gases including hydrofluorocarbons
(MFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) rose by 58 percent. From 2021 to 2022, total emissions of C02
increased by 1 percent, emissions of CH4 decreased 3 percent, and N20 emissions decreased by 2 percent, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were partly
offset by carbon sequestration in managed forests, trees in urban areas, agricultural soils, landfilled yard trimmings, and coastal wetlands. These were
estimated to offset 15 percent of total gross emissions in 2022,
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¦ HFCs, PFCs, SFe and NF3
¦ Nitrous Oxide
¦ Methane
¦ Carbon Dioxide
¦ Net CO2 Flux from LULUCF
— Net Emissions (including LULUCF sinks)
Figure 1: U.S. Greenhouse Gas
Emissions by Gas
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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I OVERVIEW OF U.S. EMISSION SOURCES BY GREENHOUSE GAS
ij Carbon Dioxide (CO2) " I Methane (CH<>)
Carbon dioxide (CO2) accounted for 80 percent of total U.S. emissions in 2022.
CO2 emissions have decreased by 18 percent since 2005, decreased by 2 percent
since 1990, and increased by 1 percent from 2021 to 2022. Changes in emissions
from fossil fuel combustion drive U.S. emission trends and are influenced by
many long- and short-term factors, including changes in demand for energy, a
general decline in the overall carbon intensity of fuels combusted for energy in
recent years by non-transport sectors of the economy, population and economic
trends, technological changes (including energy efficiency), energy prices, and
policies. Net carbon fluxes from the Land Use, Land-Use Change, and Forestry
(LULUCF) sector provided a steady sink over the time series, equivalent to 15
percent of total U.S. emissions in 2022, shown by Figure 7
Methane (CH-s) accounted for 11 percent of emissions in 2022. CH4
emissions have decreased by 12 percent since 2005, by 19 percent since
1990, and by 3 percent from 2021 to 2022. Key trends include reduced
emissions from natural gas systems due to decreases in emissions
from distribution, transmission, and storage; decreased emissions from
landfills due to increased landfill gas collection and fewer decomposable
materials discarded in landfills; and increased emissions from livestock in
line with increasing cattle populations.
Other CO2 Sources 5%
Non-Energy Use of Fuels 2% , Source
U.S. Territories 0.5% ^ rX-J——¦ / Sub-source
Commercial 5%
Residential 6%
Industrial 16%
Fossil Fuel Combustion'
93%
Other COz Sources
¦ Minerals
Petroleum and Natural
Gas Systems
¦ Chemicals
Metals
Incineration of Waste
Lime and Urea Fertilizer
Application
Substitution of ODS
Transportation 35%
Rice Cultivation 3%
Wastewater Treatment 3% j (Field Burning of Agricultural Residues 0.1%
Other CFU 4%
Coal Mining 6%
Petroleum Systems 6%
Manure Management
9%
Landfills 17%
Enteric Fermentation 27%
Natural Gas Systems 25%
Electric Power 30%
Figure 2:2022 U.S. Sources of Carbon Dioxide (CO ) Emissions
Figure 3:2022 U.S. Sources of Methane (CH-j Emissions, excluding CH4
emissions from LULUCF sector from flooded lands, forest, and grassland fires.
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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I OVERVIEW OF U.S. EMISSION SOURCES BY GREENHOUSE GAS
Nitrous Oxide (N2O)
Nitrous oxide (N2O) accounted for 6 percent of emissions in 2022.
N2O emissions have decreased by 7 percent since 2005, by 5 percent
since 1990, and by 2 percent from 2021 to 2022. In 2022, emissions
were influenced by changes in emissions from agricultural soils due
to interannual weather patterns, fertilizer use, and crop production;
growing population and protein consumption impacting wastewater
treatment industrial wastewater; changes in livestock populations
and manure management systems; and impacts of national emission
control standards on mobile combustion in on-road vehicles,
Fluorinated Gases (F-gases)
Emissions of fluorinated gases (F-gases) accounted for 3 percent of
emissions in 2022, and have increased by 58 percent since 1990, primarily
due to the substitution of ozone depleting substances (ODS) as a
result of efforts to phase out CFCs and other ODS in the United States.
Emissions of F-gases have increased by 29 percent since 2005 and
have increased by 3 percent from 2021 to 2022. Despite being emitted
in smaller quantities relative to the other greenhouse gases, emissions
of F-gases are significant because many of them have extremely
high global warming potentials (GWPs), and, for some F-gases, very
long atmospheric lifetimes. ODS substitute emissions are the primary
contributor to F-gas emissions. Other key sources include electrical
equipment, fluorochemical production, and aluminum production.
Other N2O 3% Nitric Acid Production 2%
Mobile Combustion 4%
Manure Management 4%
Wastewater Treatment
6%
Stationary Combustion
6%
Agricultural Soil Management
75%
Electronics Industry 2%,
Electrical Equipment 3%
Fluorochemical Production 4%
Magnesium Production & Processing 0.6%
Other Product Use 0.4%
Aluminum Production 0.4%
Substitution of ODS
90%
Figure 4:2022 U.S. Sources of Nitrous Oxide (N^O) Emissions, excluding
N2O emissions from LULUCF sources, e.g. forest, and grassland fires.
Figure 5:2022 U.S. Sources offiuorinatedgases (F-gases),
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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EMISSIONS BY
ECONOMIC SECTOR
Greenhouse gases are emitted across five economic sectors: transportation, electric power (electricity generation), residential/commercial
(homes and businesses), industry, and agriculture (Figure 6), If emissions from electricity use are allocated to end-use sectors, emissions from
the commercial and residential and industrial activities account for a much larger share of U.S. greenhouse gas, due to the relatively large share of
electricity use in these sectors (e.g., heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; lighting; appliances; powering industrial machinery). U.S. territories
are excluded from this figure, values, and associated percentages, The LULUCF sector, also excluded from Figure 6, is explained following the other
economic sector summaries, as shown in Figure 7.
Figure 6: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Allocated to Economic Sectors and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
with Electricity-Related Emissions Distributed to Economic Sectors
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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I EMISSIONS BY ECONOMIC SECTOR
2021 - 2022 Change
Transportation Electric Power Commercial Industry Agriculture
and Residential
^ -0.2% ^ -0.4% f+10.4% ^ -0.2% ~
-1.8%
Transportation
Transportation activities were the largest source (28
percent) of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022.
From 1990 to 2022, transportation CO; emissions from
fossil fuel combustion increased by 19 percent. The
increase in transportation emissions from 1990 to 2022
was due in large part to increased demand to travel. In
2022, light-duty vehicles represented 37 percent of CO2
emissions from transportation fossil fuel combustion and
medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses represented
23 percent. The remainder of emissions were due to off-
road sources. Indirect emissions from electricity represent
less than 1 percent of total transportation end-use sector
emissions.
Electric Power
The electric power sector accounted for 25 percent of total
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. Emissions from
this sector have decreased by approximately 16 percent
since 1990, and the carbon intensity of the sector, in terms
of emissions (C02 Eq.) per QBtu input, has decreased by
28 percent. Total electric power generation increased by 3
percent in 2022 while electric power-related emissions
decreased by less than 1 percent due in part to a decrease
in coal consumed to produce electricity and an increase in
renewable generation. In 2022, the consumption of natural
gas and petroleum for electric power generation increased
by 7 percent and 19 percent, respectively, while the
consumption of coal decreased by 7 percent.
Commercial and
Residential
The commercial and residential sectors accounted for
7 and 6 percent, respectively, of total U.S. greenhouse
gas emissions in 2022 excluding indirect emissions from
electricity end-use. Emissions from the this sectors are
primarily from to building-related activities such as
heating and cooking and have increased since 1990.
Short-term trends are often correlated with seasonal
fluctuations in energy use caused by weather conditions.
Emissions from commercial and residential buildings
also increase substantially when emissions from
electricity end-use are included, because the building
sector uses 75 percent of the electricity generated in the
United States (e.g., for heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning; lighting; and appliances) (NREL 2023). Total
residential and commercial greenhouse gas emissions,
including direct and indirect emissions, have decreased
by 1 percent since 1990. In 2022, a 7.9 percent increase in
heating degree days increased energy demand for
heating in the residential and commercial sectors, and a
4.3 percent increase in cooling degree days compared to
2021 increased energy demand for air conditioning in
these sectors.
Industry
The industrial sector accounted for 23 percent of
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 excluding
indirect emissions from electricity end-use. If indirect
emissions from electricity use are distributed to the
industrial end-use sector (e.g., powering equipment and
industrial buildings), industrial activities account for a
much larger share (30 percent) of U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions. Since 1990, emissions from industry have
declined by 16 percent. Structural changes within the U.S.
economy that led to shifts in industrial output away from
energy-intensive manufacturing products to less energy-
intensive products (e.g., from steel to computer
equipment) have had a significant effect on industrial
emissions. In 2022, total energy use in the industrial sector
increased by 3 percent due to an increase in total
industrial production and manufacturing output. EPA's
GHGRP data provide additional insights into underlying
trends in the industrial sector.
Agriculture
Agriculture accounted for about 10 percent of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 and includes sources
such as livestock enteric fermentation and manure
management, N2O emitted from managed agricultural soils
from fertilizers and other management practices, and fossil
fuel combustion from agricultural equipment. Indirect
emissions from electricity in the agricultural sector are
about 5 percent of sector emissions. In 2022, agricultural
soil management was the largest source of N2O emissions,
and enteric fermentation was the largest source of ChU
emissions in the United States. Carbon stock changes
from agricultural soils (i.e., croplands and grasslands) are
described in the LULUCF sector discussed on the next
page.
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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LAND USE, LAND-USE
CHANGE AND FORESTRY
LULUCF activities include fluxes of carbon resulting from land use conversions (e.g., emissions from the conversion of forest land to agricultural
or urban use) or land-use management practices that remove C02 from the atmosphere and store it in long-term carbon sinks (e.g., through net
forest growth). Key sources of emission fluxes on managed lands, including CH4 and N20 emissions, include forest management practices, land-
use conversion, long-term storage of carbon in harvested wood products, fires, tree planting in urban areas, existing and new reservoirs and
other constructed waterbodies, landfilling of yard trimmings and food scraps, and management of coastal wetland ecosystems (e.g., engineered
restoration, and other sediment diversion). In 2022, net C02 removed from the atmosphere from the LULUCF sector was 15 percent of total gross U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2022, total carbon sequestration in the LULUCF sector decreased by 11 percent, primarily due to a
decrease in the rate of net carbon accumulation in forests and an increase in C02 emissions from urbanization.
Forest Land ¦ Cropland ¦ Settlements ¦ Grassland ¦ Wetlands - LULUCF Net Total
O
u
Figure 7: Trends in Emissions and
Removals (Net COz Flux) from Land Use,
Land-Use Change, and Forestry. The term
"flux" is used to describe the exchange
of COz to and from the atmosphere, with
net flux being either positive or negative
depending on the overall balance.
Removal and long-term storage of COz
from the atmosphere is also referred to as
"carbon sequestration."
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DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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PRELIMINARY ENERGY SECTOR
EMISSION DATA FOR 2023
2022 - 2023 Change (Preliminary)
Electric Power Transportation Industry ai^ResklerUiaI Total
* t * * *
-7.4% 0.8% -1.3% -7.6% -2.7%
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4,500
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Distributed
2022 2023 2022 2023
Jet Fuel Diesel Fuel Gasolire
While the current Inventory does not include 2023
estimates, preliminary energy data are available and
can be used to assess likely results for energy-related
CO2 emissions. Preliminary 2023 data are not available
for other sectors to provide overall projections. The
preliminary energy estimates indicate that in 2023
total primary energy use decreased by 1 percent and
emissions from energy use decreased by 3 percent
compared to 2022 (EIA 2024). Transportation sector
emissions increased 1 percent in 2023 compared
to 2022. Overall U.S. net electricity production from
the electric power sector decreased by 1 percent
and emissions decreased by 7 percent in part due
to decreased coal use. In 2023, coal use decreased
by about 17 percent, and natural gas use increased
by about 1 percent in the electric power sector (EIA
2024). The growth in renewable sources continued
with electricity production from renewable energy
use increasing by about 2 percent in 2023 (EIA
2024). Emissions from the combined residential and
commercial sector and from the industry sector
including indirect emissions from electricity production
decreased by 8 percent and 1 percent, respectively, in
2023.
Figure 8: Comparison of Fossil Fuel C02
Combustion Emissions
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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I BACKGROUND
EPA's annual Inventory ofU.S, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (the Inventory) provides a comprehensive account of emissions and removals by source, economic
sector, and greenhouse gas (GHG), annually since 1990. The Data Highlights are a summary of the latest information on U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission
trends from 1990 through 2022 and include a preliminary outlook on anticipated 2023 emissions. The estimates presented are calculated using methodologies consistent
with those recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In preparing the annual Inventory, EPA collaborates with hundreds of experts
representing more than a dozen U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, industry associations, consultants, and environmental organizations. EPA also collects
greenhouse gas emission data from individual facilities and suppliers of certain fossil fuels and industrial gases through its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
(GHGRP). The GHGRP does not provide full coverage of total annual U.S. greenhouse emissions and sinks (e.g., the GHGRP excludes emissions from the agricultural,
land use, and forestry sectors), but it is an important input to the calculations of national-level emissions in the Inventory. For this latest release, EPA has made several
important improvements, including updates to estimates for oil and gas and forested land incorporating long-term research.
I FOR MORE INFORMATION
Additional resources and tools with more information and data related to the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory are available at: https://www.epa.aov/ahaemissions/
inventorv-us-areenhouse-aas-emissions-and-sinks. These include:
¦ The Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer allows users to visualize the data underlying U.S. Inventory estimates,
¦ The full Inventory ofU.S, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022 report provides access to in-depth information on data sources and
methodologies, and
¦ CSVs of the Inventory report tables available for download for your own use.
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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I REFERENCES
IPCC (2006), 2006IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, The National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme, The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, H.S. Eggleston, L. Buendia, K. Miwa, T Ngara, and K. Tanabe (eds.). Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan. Available online at: https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/ public/2006gl/
IPCC (2014), 2013 Supplement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories: Wetlands, Hiraishi, T., Krug, T., Tanabe, K., Srivastava, N., Baasansuren, J.,
Fukuda, M. and Troxler, T.G. (eds). Published: IPCC, Switzerland. Available online at: https://www.ipcc.ch/publication/2013-supplement-to-the-2006-ipcc-guidelines-
fornational-greenhouse-gas-inventories-wetlands/
IPCC (2014), Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report, Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and LA. Meyer (eds.). IPCC, Switzerland. Available online at: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/SYR AR5
FINAL full.pdf
IPCC (2019), 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, Calvo Buendia, E., Tanabe, K., Kranjc, A., Baasansuren, J., Fukuda, M.,
Ngarize, S., Osako, A., Pyrozhenko, Y., Shermanau, P. and Federici, S. (eds). Published: IPCC, Switzerland. Available online at: https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.ip/public/2019rf/
index, html
NREL (2023), NREL Researchers Reveal How Buildings Across United States Do - and Could - Use Energy. Available online at: https://www.nrel.gov/news/features/2023/
nrel-researchers-reveal-how-buildings-across-the-united-states-do-and-could-use-energv.html#:~:text=Buildings%20are%20responsible%20for%2040,building%20 stock%
20is%20also%20essential
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) (2024) March 2024 Monthly Energy Review. Available online at: https://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthlv/previous.php
DATA HIGHLIGHTS: INVENTORY OF U.S. GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS: 1990-2022
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