November 27, 2025
US emissions from oil and gas industry are a small but important share of national greenhouse gases. In 2023, the United States emitted nearly 6.2 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases (CO₂e). Most human-caused emissions – over 70 percent – come from burning fossil fuels. The oil and gas sector accounts for about 0.32 billion metric tons, or roughly 5 percent of total emissions. This figure covers emissions directly from oil and gas production, transportation and processing. It does not include emissions from burning oil and gas by other industries or consumers.
So what are the major sources of emissions in the oil and gas industry, and what are the trends?
Absolute Emissions Growth
Figure 1 tracks US oil and gas greenhouse gas emissions by industry segment from 2016 to 2023, in Mt CO₂e. Over this period, total emissions from CO₂, methane and other gases rise from about 277 Mt in 2016 to about 323 Mt in 2023. This is an increase of roughly 16 percent.
Emissions grow steadily through 2019. They drop in 2020–2021 during the Covid-related slowdown. After that, they recover modestly, but do not return to the 2019 peak of about 350 Mt.
Figure 1: US Oil and Gas Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Industry
The chart shows that onshore production and gathering and boosting are consistently the largest sources. Onshore production emissions climb from 87 Mt in 2016 to a high of 127 Mt in 2019, then fall to around 91 Mt by 2023. Gathering and boosting remains in a narrower range (about 76–90 Mt), but ends the period slightly higher than it started, reaching almost 90 Mt in 2023. Together, these two segments account for more than half of total sector emissions in 2023.
Natural gas processing and transmission compression form the next tier of contributors. Processing emissions are relatively stable, fluctuating around 56–61 Mt and finishing at 61 Mt in 2023. In contrast, transmission compression shows a clear upward trend—from 22.5 Mt in 2016 to 36 Mt in 2023—highlighting growing emissions associated with moving gas through high-pressure pipelines.
Downstream gas segments move in different directions. Natural gas distribution edges down slightly to 2019, then rises from 12.4 Mt in 2020 to 16.6 Mt in 2023, indicating growing emissions closer to end-users. Other segments are smaller in absolute terms but show clear growth.
What About Emission Intensity?
Incorrys calculated emission intensity as total emissions from the oil and gas sector per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) (Figure 2). Oil and gas production includes raw gas production as well as crude oil and natural gas liquids production. Despite growth in total emissions, emission intensity has been declining since 2017. It reached 26 kg CO₂e per BOE in 2023, down from 32 kg CO₂e per BOE in 2016–2017. This reduction has been achieved through various technologies and operational improvements, including significant reductions in flaring and venting, lower fugitive methane emissions, and other measures.
Figure 2: Emission Intensity for US Oil and Gas Industry
See Also:
Is the Canadian Oil and Gas Industry Reducing Methane Emissions?
References:
“Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP).”, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://edap.epa.gov/public/extensions/OilGasDashboard/index.html#. Accessed 26 November 2025
“Energy and the environment explained.”, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/energy-and-the-environment/where-greenhouse-gases-come-from.php . Accessed 26 November 2025
“Petroleum & Other Liquids.”, US Energy Information Administration, https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/data.php . Accessed 26 November 2025
“Natural Gas”, US Energy Information Administration, https://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/data.php . Accessed 26 November 2025