US GHG emissions
In Short
Institutions such as the EPA and the IEA publish statistics about energy and GHG emissions.
A Few Details
| Category of GHG emitter | US GHG emissions |
|---|---|
| “Dirty” power plants (EPA: same classification) |
28% |
| Industry’s hydrocarbon powered devices (including oil industry’s own consumption from extraction to distribution) (EPA: same classification) |
22% |
| Transport’s gas or diesel engines (EPA: same classification) |
29% |
| Building (residential and commercial) (EPA: 12% for direct emissions) |
12% |
| Agriculture (EPA: same classification) |
9% |
| TOTAL OF HUMAN ACTIVITY | 100% |
| CO2 removed by ecosystems (i.e., forest and other plants) isn’t included. It does mitigate numbers above, but it shouldn’t deviate countries benefiting from large ecosystems (e.g., Amazon rainforest) to go for a carbon-free economy. (EPA estimates the US “net sink” at 11%) |
-11% |
These numbers come from the EPA (2017). These numbers do vary slightly for other years. Other institutions may classify the sources in different categories.
WATCHOUT about “fake” news: Electricity is often confused with energy. Electricity is only a fraction of our energy, which comes mostly from fossil fuels generating the bulk of GHG emissions. A spectacular saving of 1% of electricity only represents a small fraction of this 1% in terms of reduction of GHG emissions.
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