U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2016 totalled 5,170 million metric tons (MMmt), 1.7% below their 2015 levels, after dropping 2.7% between 2014 and 2015, according to the Energy Information Agency (EIA).
The agency said the recent decreases are consistent with a decade-long trend, with energy-related CO2 emissions 14% below the 2005 level in 2016.
Both oil and natural gas consumption were higher in 2016 than in 2015, while coal consumption was significantly lower. Energy-related CO2 emissions in 2016 from gas increased 0.9%, while coal-related emissions decreased 8.6%.
In terms of carbon emissions per unit GDP (carbon intensity), early estimates of GDP growth of 1.6%, taken together with a 1.7% decline in energy-related CO2, implies a 3.3% decline in the carbon intensity of the U.S. economy. In 2015, carbon intensity of the economy had decreased by 5.3%.
Emissions from the transportation sector were up 1.1% and surpassed those from the power sector during 2016—a trend that persists through at least 2040 in the Reference case projections in EIA’s 2017 Annual Energy Outlook.
CO2 emissions from the electric power sector fell by 4.9% in 2016. A significant reduction in coal use for electricity generation was offset by increased generation from gas and renewable sources. Overall, the data indicate about a 5% decline in the carbon intensity of the power sector, a rate that was also realized in 2015.