GHGRP Emissions Trends
Figure 1: Trends in Direct GHG Emissions (2011-2019) 1,2,3
View this information in FLIGHT.
1 GHG data for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems source category is not directly comparable between 2011-2015 and 2016 onward. Facilities in the Onshore Oil & Gas, Gathering & Boosting, and Onshore Gas Transmission Pipelines industry segments began reporting in 2016.
2 Non-fluorinated Chemicals and Fluorinated Chemicals are components of “Chemicals” in FLIGHT.
3 Other Combustion, Underground Coal Mines, Electronics Manufacturing and Electrical Equipment Production & Use comprise “Other” in FLIGHT.
National level trends in greenhouse gas emissions are available through the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2018. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is different from the U.S. GHG Inventory in that it collects information from the largest stationary sources in the U.S. and provides nearly complete emissions coverage for many of the largest emitting industries. Trends in emissions reported for individual industries are discussed in the industry-specific reports.
Total U.S. emissions increased by 2.9 percent from 2017 to 2018, based on the U.S. GHG Inventory. For sources reporting to the GHGRP, emissions increased by 2.2 percent from 2017 to 2018.
The U.S. GHG Inventory is not yet available for 2019. For sources reporting to the GHGRP, emissions decreased by 4.7 percent from 2018 to 2019. Over the past nine reporting years (2011-2019), GHGRP reported direct emissions from sectors other than oil and gas (also excluding suppliers) declined by 19.0 percent. This decline is primarily caused by a 24.9 percent decline in reported power plant emissions since 2011.
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. GHG Inventory | |||||||||
| Total emissions (million metric tons CO2e) | 6,820.5 | 6,580.7 | 6,769.6 | 6,829.0 | 6,676.4 | 6,524.1 | 6,488.2 | 6,676.7 | Not available |
| Percent change in emissions from previous year | — | -3.5% | 2.9% | 0.9% | -2.2% | -2.3% | -0.5% | 2.9% | Not available |
| GHGRP | |||||||||
| Number of direct-emitting facilities | 7,645 | 7,896 | 7,985 | 8,209 | 8,050 | 7,665 | 7,571 | 7,668 | 7,624 |
| Direct emissions (million metric tons CO2e) | 3,318.4 | 3,169.3 | 3,189.6 | 3,204.0 | 3,057.7 | 2,994.01 | 2,926.81 | 2,990.31 | 2,849.71 |
| Percent change in emissions from previous year | — | -4.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% | -4.6% | -2.1% | -2.2% | 2.2% | -4.7% |
1 GHG data for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems source category is not directly comparable between 2011-2015 and 2016 onward. Facilities in the Onshore Oil & Gas, Gathering & Boosting, and Onshore Gas Transmission Pipelines industry segments began reporting in 2016.
| Sector | 2011 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2012 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2013 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2014 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2015 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2016 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2017 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2018 Emissions (MMT CO2e) | 2019 Emissions (MMT CO2e) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Plants | 2,221.7 | 2,089.5 | 2,105.7 | 2,101.7 | 1,972.5 | 1,875.4 | 1,799.5 | 1,815.0 | 1,668.7 |
| Oil & Gas | 222.3 | 225.7 | 228.0 | 235.7 | 235.5 | 282.61 | 289.01 | 318.71 | 340.51 |
| Chemicals | 180.4 | 173.0 | 174.6 | 177.1 | 177.1 | 177.1 | 184.4 | 191.3 | 185.6 |
| Fluorinated Chemicals | 17.3 | 14.4 | 13.4 | 11.7 | 10.3 | 7.6 | 9.9 | 8.1 | 8.6 |
| Non-fluorinated Chemicals | 163.1 | 158.6 | 161.2 | 165.4 | 166.8 | 169.5 | 174.5 | 183.2 | 177.0 |
| Refineries | 178.2 | 172.6 | 174.3 | 175.3 | 176.9 | 180.8 | 179.2 | 182.1 | 177.6 |
| Waste | 114.9 | 115.0 | 111.3 | 111.9 | 110.5 | 107.7 | 105.8 | 108.6 | 110.3 |
| Metals | 112.0 | 106.8 | 106.9 | 104.5 | 91.4 | 88.0 | 88.1 | 92.0 | 89.7 |
| Minerals | 103.2 | 107.8 | 111.5 | 117.0 | 115.0 | 110.7 | 114.3 | 116.0 | 114.7 |
| Pulp & Paper | 44.2 | 42.8 | 39.4 | 39.3 | 38.4 | 37.5 | 35.4 | 35.5 | 35.2 |
| Other | 141.6 | 136.0 | 137.8 | 141.6 | 140.4 | 134.2 | 131.2 | 131.0 | 127.4 |
| Underground Coal Mines | 40.9 | 38.8 | 41.0 | 41.2 | 43.9 | 39.2 | 38.1 | 35.9 | 34.2 |
| Electrical Equipment Production & Use | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Electronics Manufacturing | 7.0 | 6.4 | 5.2 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 5.8 |
| Other Combustion | 89.5 | 87.4 | 88.2 | 90.7 | 87.6 | 85.8 | 84.3 | 86.4 | 84.7 |
1 GHG data for the Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems source category is not directly comparable between 2011-2015 and 2016 onward. Facilities in the Onshore Oil & Gas, Gathering & Boosting, and Onshore Gas Transmission Pipelines industry segments began reporting in 2016.