Share
The 2019 edition of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) comprehensive annual report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions shows a long-term trend in falling greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2005, national greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 13%, and power sector emissions have fallen by 27.6%. Year-over-year, national greenhouse gas emissions were .5% lower in 2017 than the prior year, and power sector emissions fell 4.2%.
"Through industry innovation, we've seen substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions over the last decade," said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "This is proof that American ingenuity can support continued emissions reductions in the years ahead without the need for regulatory overreach. When fully implemented, our proposed Affordable Clean Energy Rule would reduce power sector CO2 emissions 34 percent below 2005 levels."
Background
EPA's annual report, the "Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2017," provides comprehensive look at U.S. emissions and removals by source, economic sector and GHG.
The gases covered by this inventory include: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride. The inventory also calculates carbon dioxide emissions that are removed from the atmosphere by "sinks," e.g., through the uptake of carbon and storage in forests, vegetation and soils.
This annual report is prepared by EPA in collaboration with numerous experts from other federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Agriculture; state government authorities; research and academic institutions; and industry associations.