The latest Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, presenting a national-level overview of annual greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 forward, cites 2022 GHG emissions of 5.489 billion metric tons (Gt) of carbon dioxide equivalent, a 1.3% increase from the prior year.
The GHG Inventory factors emissions of CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride – all pegged for their global warming potential when released to the atmosphere. CO2 emissions in 2022 are pegged at just over 5 Gt, of which 41.8 million metric tons (Mt), or 0.008%, was attributed to 80.5 Mt of cement production. Cement and Iron & Steel production account for near-equal contributions to the 168.9 Mt of CO2 emissions in the GHG Inventory Industrial Products and Product Use category.
“Through a rigorous development and review process, EPA annually refines and strengthens our inventory, producing a comprehensive tally of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks,” said Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation Joseph Goffman. “Reflecting input from hundreds of experts across the government, academia, industry, and consulting, the GHG Inventory report is a model for high-quality and transparent national GHG accounting.”
The agency has published the GHG Inventory as an impartial, policy neutral report since 1993, he added, submitting it to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
