Global CO2 emissions from hydrocarbon fuel consumption total 36.4 billion metric tons per year according to the most recent data available. The United States accounts for 4.9 billion metric tons, or 13.5% of the global total.

U.S. CO2 emissions plateaued at roughly 6 billion metric tons from 2004 to 2007 and have declined since. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects emissions of 4.75 billion metric tons for 2024, a decrease of over 20% from their peak.

Central to this decline has been the displacement of coal-fired electricity generation by natural gas. From 2005 to 2021, coal-fired generation fell to 900 million megawatt-hours, an annual rate of decline of nearly 5%. Over the same period, natural gas-fired generation grew to 1,580 million megawatt-hours, an annual growth rate of 4.7%.

U.S. CO2 Emissions from Hydrocarbon Fuel Consumption — figure 2
Fig. 2 of 3 · Chart 2023-46 · Source: EPRINC
U.S. CO2 Emissions from Hydrocarbon Fuel Consumption — figure 3
Fig. 3 of 3 · Chart 2023-46 · Source: EPRINC

From the EPRINC Chart of the Week archive.