In 2020, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States totaled 5.98 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e). This was a decrease of roughly nine percent compared with 2019 levels. This dramatic reduction was a direct result of the COVID-19-related lockdowns and restrictions imposed throughout the year.
Annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions peaked in 2007, at 7.46 GtCO2e. Since then, emissions have fallen by roughly 20 percent. In light of the climate crisis, the U.S. has set the target of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, emissions will need to be cut by at least 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
Annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States from 1990 to 2020
(in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents)
Characteristic
Emissions in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents
This statistic was assembled using several editions of the report. Figures not found in the report are taken from the EPA Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer
**Total emissions presented without LULUCF.
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Environmental Protection Agency. (April 14, 2022). Annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States from 1990 to 2020 (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 26, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/517376/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States from 1990 to 2020 (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents)." Chart. April 14, 2022. Statista. Accessed May 26, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/517376/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
Environmental Protection Agency. (2022). Annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States from 1990 to 2020 (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 26, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/517376/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
Environmental Protection Agency. "Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions in The United States from 1990 to 2020 (in Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Equivalents)." Statista, Statista Inc., 14 Apr 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/517376/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/
Environmental Protection Agency, Annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States from 1990 to 2020 (in million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/517376/us-greenhouse-gas-emissions/ (last visited May 26, 2022)