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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) released a new annual report titled:
Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks Inventory (“report”)
The Report provides a national- level overview of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2022.
Gasses that trap the heat in the atmosphere are typically denominated (“greenhouse gases”). EPA has previously listed as greenhouse gases:
- Carbon Dioxide - 79%
- Methane – 11%
- Nitrous Oxide – 7%
- Fluorinated Gases – 3%
The report states that United States greenhouse gases were 5,489 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide equivalent in 2022.
This is stated to constitute a 1.3 increase in emissions from 2021.
EPA states that the increase is to a great extent driven by higher energy use in 2022. This is stated to be due to the rebound in economic activity following the COVID pandemic.
It is noted that emissions have declined 17% overall since 2005 due to:
- Energy market trends
- Technological changes (Energy efficiency improvements)
- Carbon intensity of energy fuel choices
The report takes into account Carbon Dioxide removed from the atmosphere through the uptake of Carbon in forests and other vegetation.
Emissions are stated to have increased in 2022 by 1% (after accounting for SEQUESTRATION from the land sector) compared to 2021. The increases is stated to be due to a large extent an increase in Carbon Dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
Sources of carbon dioxide emissions and changes addressed in the report include:
- Fossil fuel combustion
- Non-energy use of fuels
- Cement production
- Iron and steel production
- Other industrial processes
- Natural gas systems
- Petrol chemical production
- Petroleum systems
- Ammonia Production
- Incineration of waste
- Lime production
- Other energy
A link to the report can be found here.
