In 2020, the United States Produced the Least CO2 Emissions from Energy in Nearly 40 Years

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In 2020, as the country responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, CO₂ emissions from energy consumption in the United States fell to the lowest level since 1983. The 4.6 billion metric tons (Bmt) of CO₂ emitted in 2020 was an 11% decrease from 2019, the largest annual decrease on record, according to our Monthly Energy Review. Our new U.S. CO₂ emissions from energy consumption by source and sector chart illustrates CO₂ emissions by energy source and sector.

U.S. petroleum consumption accounted for 2.0 Bmt of energy-related CO

₂ emissions, or about 45% of the U.S. total, in 2020. About 77% of petroleum CO₂ emissions occurred in the transportation sector in 2020.

In 2020, U.S. natural gas consumption accounted for 1.7 Bmt of CO₂ emissions, or about 36% of the total — its largest share on record. In 2020, about 38% of CO₂ emissions from natural gas occurred in the electric power sector, and 32% were in the industrial sector.

In 2020, coal consumption accounted for 0.9 Bmt of CO₂ emissions, or about 19% of total CO

₂ emissions, both its lowest total amount and share in our annual data series that begins in 1973. In 2020, about 90% of CO₂ emissions from coal occurred in the electric power sector. Coal consumption in the electric power sector has declined over the past decade, displaced by natural gas and renewable energy.

The electric power sector is an intermediate energy-consuming sector, and therefore, we allocate its CO₂ emissions proportionally to the amount of electricity sold to each consumption sector in this chart. In 2020, coal accounted for 54% of electric power CO

₂ emissions, even though coal accounted for 19% of electricity generation in the electric power sector last year.

The U.S. transportation sector emitted 1.6 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, or about 36% of the nation’s total energy-related CO₂ emissions. U.S. transportation sector CO₂ emissions dropped 15% from 2019 as a result of the decrease in petroleum consumption for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, petroleum accounted for 97% of U.S. transportation sector CO₂ emissions.

The U.S. industrial sector emitted 1.3 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020. In 2020, direct consumption of natural gas accounted for 41% of the sector’s CO

₂ emissions, electric power generation accounted for 28%, petroleum for 25%, and coal for 7%.

The U.S. residential sector emitted 0.9 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, a 6% drop from 2019. Energy consumption in the residential sector was down overall in 2020 despite more people staying at home. In 2020, electric power generation accounted for 64% of residential CO₂ emissions, and direct consumption of natural gas accounted for 29%.

The U.S. commercial sector emitted 0.7 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, or 16% of total U.S. energy-related CO₂ emissions, the least of any sector. In 2020, 69% of commercial sector CO

₂ emissions came from electric power generation, and 24% was from direct consumption of natural gas.

As the nation emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and travel and the economy begin to grow again, we expect CO₂ emissions to grow by 0.3 Bmt ( 7%) in 2021, according to the July update of our Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Principal contributor: Brett Marohl

Article and graphs courtesy of U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).