Carbon dioxide emissions in the United States 1975-2022

Energy consumption in the United States produced five billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂) in 2022 - an increase of 1.4 percent from 2021 levels. U.S. emissions from energy consumption have fallen by approximately 17 percent lower since peaking in 2007.

Sources of emissions in the U.S.

The main source of CO₂ emissions in the U.S. is the transportation sector. For many years the power sector was the country’s biggest contributor to CO₂ emissions, but the transition towards cleaner energy sources and a shift away from coal-fired power generation – the most carbon intensive fossil fuel – have cut emissions from this sector. Meanwhile, transportation emissions have continued to rise, except for an unprecedented decline in 2020.

U.S. transportation emissions

The U.S. is the biggest contributor to global transportation emissions by far. The states with the largest transportation-related emissions in the U.S. are Texas and California.