Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have declined 17 percent since 2005, according to the Annual US Greenhouse Gas Inventory, published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
It reflects the combined impacts of several factors, including energy market trends, technological changes including energy efficiency improvements, and the carbon intensity of energy fuel choices, EPA said in its latest annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, or GHG Inventory.
However, a 1.3 percent increase has been reported in net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, when compared to the previous year. 5,489 million metric tons of carbon dioxide was emitted in the U.S. in 2022. The increase is largely due to higher energy use that year, reflecting the continued rebound in economic activity following the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
For this latest release, EPA has made several important improvements, including updates to estimates for oil and gas and incorporation of long-term research into methods for estimating emissions and sinks from forested land.
The GHG Inventory covers seven key greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride. In addition to tracking U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the Inventory also calculates carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere through the uptake of carbon in forests and other vegetation.
This impartial, policy neutral report has been compiled annually since 1993 and submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and also the Paris Agreement.
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