US Historical GHG Emissions by Type

May 1, 2024

Total US GHG emissions grew from just under 6,500 Mt CO₂eq in 1990 to about 7,500 Mt CO₂eq in 2007. They generally trended downward thereafter dropping to 6,600 Mt CO₂eq by 2019.

In 2020, US GHG emissions hit their lowest point since 1990 at about 6,000 driven by the impact of the Covid pandemic. Post-pandemic, they have increased slightly to 6,400 Mt CO₂eq  in 2022.

Despite the recent uptick, Incorrys expects US GHG emissions to continue its general downtrend that started in 2007.

Historically, US GHG emissions have consisted of 80% Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), 12% Methane (CH4), 6% Nitrous Oxide (N₂O), and 2% other.

*Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF)

Sources:

Organization for economic co-operation and development. 2023. Available at https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=air_ghg

EPA. 2022. Inventory of Green House Gas Emissions and Sinks. Available at https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2023-04/US-GHG-Inventory-2023-Main-Text.pdf.