Passenger cars in the United States emitted 617.7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) in 2020. This was a decrease of nearly 20 percent compared with the previous year, and was a result of lockdowns imposed after the outbreak of COVID-19. Despite the dramatic reductions, passenger cars were the largest source of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions that year.
Emissions from commercial aircrafts were also heavily impacted due to travel bans, plummeting 32 percent relative to 2019 levels.
Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 1990 and 2020, by vehicle type
(in million metric tons of CO2 equivalent)
*Consists of emissions from jet fuel and aviation gasoline consumption by general aviation and military aircraft.
** includes motorcycles, buses, pipelines, and lubricants
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Environmental Protection Agency. (April 14, 2022). Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 1990 and 2020, by vehicle type (in million metric tons of CO2 equivalent) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 19, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235011/us-transportation-ghg-emissions-by-vehicle-type/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 1990 and 2020, by vehicle type (in million metric tons of CO2 equivalent)." Chart. April 14, 2022. Statista. Accessed August 19, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235011/us-transportation-ghg-emissions-by-vehicle-type/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 1990 and 2020, by vehicle type (in million metric tons of CO2 equivalent). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 19, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235011/us-transportation-ghg-emissions-by-vehicle-type/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Transportation-related Greenhouse Gas Emissions in The United States in 1990 and 2020, by Vehicle Type (in Million Metric Tons of Co2 Equivalent)." Statista, Statista Inc., 14 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235011/us-transportation-ghg-emissions-by-vehicle-type/
Environmental Protection Agency, Transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in 1990 and 2020, by vehicle type (in million metric tons of CO2 equivalent) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235011/us-transportation-ghg-emissions-by-vehicle-type/ (last visited August 19, 2022)
