U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 1975-2020

Energy consumption in the United States produced 4.57 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. This was a reduction of roughly 13 percent compared to the previous year. Although emissions from energy consumption have been in decline for a number of years, the dramatic decline in 2020 was caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, which heavily disrupted industry and travel.

Sources of emissions in the U.S.

The main source of CO2 emissions in the U.S. is the transportation sector, and has been since 2016. For many years the power sector was the country’s biggest contributor to CO2 emissions, but transitions towards cleaner energy sources and a shift away from coal-fired power generation – the dirtiest of fossil fuels – have seen emissions from this sector drop. In the meantime, transportation emissions have continued to rise.

U.S. transportation emissions

The U.S. is the biggest contributor to global transportation emissions, producing roughly twice the carbon dioxide emissions as the transportation sector in the European Union. Transportation-related CO2 emissions in the U.S. are highest in both Texas and California.