Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions declined in most states from 2005 to 2015, EIA reports
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions decreased in 42 states and the District of Columbia and increased in eight states between 2005 and 2015.
Per capita, energy-related CO2 emissions decreased in 48 states and the District of Columbia and increased in two states, Louisiana and Nebraska, during the same period.
“EIA’s analysis measures emissions released at the location where fossil fuels are consumed,” the agency said in a news release. “When fuels are used in one state to generate electricity that is consumed in another state, for example, emissions are attributed to the state where the generation occurs.”
EIA found that 36 percent of the United States’ total energy-related CO2 emissions came producing electricity, while 35 percent came from transporting goods of people, 18 percent came from industrial processes, and 11 percent came from the use of fuel equipment in residential and commercial buildings.
The 10 states with the highest total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2015 accounted for half of total U.S. emissions, but also make up more than half of the country’s total population.
In absolute terms, Texas was the country’s biggest emitter, followed by California. On a per capita basis, California was also the third-lowest emitter behind the District of Columbia and New York.
Two states with relatively small populations had much higher levels of per capita emissions. Wyoming’s emissions were approximately seven times the national average, and North Dakota’s were approximately fives times the national average. Both states are large energy producers and have high emissions related to the production of coal, oil, and natural gas.
The United State’s energy-related CO2 emissions in 2016 totaled 5,170 million metric tons (MMmt), a 1.7 decrease below their 2015 levels. In 2016, CO2 emissions levels were 14 percent lower than their 2005 level.
