U.S. carbon dioxide emissions 1975-2024, by sector

In 2024, the U.S. transportation sector produced about *** billion metric tons of CO₂ from energy consumption. While transportation has emerged as the largest source of CO₂ emissions from energy consumption since 2016, emissions from the electric power sector have experienced a notable decline.

Evolving energy landscape

In 2024, the U.S. electric power sector, once the country’s largest source of CO₂ emissions, generated approximately *** billion metric tons of CO₂, a ** percent decrease from its peak emissions in 2007. This decline can be attributed to the country's shift towards cleaner energy sources, such as natural gas and renewables, and the phasing out of coal. This has seen U.S. electricity generation from coal decrease by more than ** percent since 2010.

U.S. contributions to global power emissions

Despite the progress in reducing emissions from its power sector, the U.S. remains the second-largest emitter from electricity generation, globally. In 2023, the North American country was responsible for around ** percent of total global power sector emissions, with only China's power sector emitting more that year.