The Flow of Energy-Related CO₂ Emissions in the U.S.

In 2021, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the generation and consumption of energy reached 4.9 billion tonnes. Fossil fuels including petroleum, natural gas, and coal made up 100% of these emissions.

To better understand how various energy sources and their end-uses contribute to carbon emissions, this graphic sponsored by the National Public Utilities Council visualizes the flow of energy-related CO₂ emissions in the United States.

What Are Energy-Related CO₂ Emissions?

Energy-related CO₂ emissions refer to the release of carbon dioxide as a result of the combustion of fuels to produce energy. They arise through the direct use of fossil fuels for transport, heating, or industrial needs, as well as the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation.

In addition to the emissions that arise from the generation and consumption of energy, there are several other ways CO₂ emissions can arise. To provide some context, they can result as a byproduct of industrial chemical reactions, deforestation, and agricultural activities.

As the largest contributor to carbon emissions, however, energy-related CO₂ emissions account for approximately 85% of all emissions in the United States, which we will now explore in further detail.

U.S. Energy-Related CO₂ Emissions in 2021

Followed by a pandemic-driven decline in 2020, energy-related CO₂ emissions in the U.S. increased by 325 million tonnes in 2021, marking the largest-ever annual increase. Clean energy sources, namely solar, wind, nuclear, biomass and hydropower, accounted for 0% of these emissions.

When we follow the CO₂ emissions from the above fossil fuels to their end uses, transportation and electricity generation stand out as the biggest contributors.

In 2021, these two sectors accounted for more than 68% of all energy-related emissions in the country, roughly emitting 3.3 billion tonnes of CO₂.

When it comes to transportation, petroleum accounted for 97% of emissions, largely due to motor gasoline and diesel consumption. On the other hand, coal and natural gas made up 99% of CO₂ emissions related to electricity generation.

Due to its high carbon intensity, coal’s contribution to power sector emissions is of particular interest. As the share of coal rose from 20% to 23% in the U.S. electricity mix in 2021, electricity emissions from coal also increased for the first time since 2014.

Naturally, this shift raised the overall energy-related CO₂ emissions in 2021. It also caused a 4% hike in the carbon intensity of the country’s electricity, hinting at the urgent need for a shift away from coal.

The Path to Decarbonization: Lowering Emissions

The impact of climate change has become increasingly clear in recent years. To avoid its worst impacts, it’s essential to achieve decarbonization across all sectors, which requires significant reductions in energy-related carbon emissions.

One of the most critical sectors for emissions reductions is transportation, which accounts for nearly 40% of all energy-related CO₂ emissions. The good news is that there is enormous potential to reduce these emissions through the use of electric vehicles and the decarbonization of the electricity used to charge them.

To decarbonize the power sector, the U.S. must transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean energy sources such as wind, solar, and nuclear power. Once achieved, decarbonized electricity also has the power to reduce emissions from all other sectors that use electricity, including industrial, residential and commercial activities.

By taking bold action toward these objectives, the U.S. can accelerate the transition to a clean energy future within its borders and beyond.

Click here to learn more about how electric utilities and the power sector can lead on the path toward decarbonization.

How Far Are We from Phasing Out Coal?

This was originally published on April 28, 2022, on Elements.

At the COP26 conference last year, 40 nations agreed to phase coal out of their energy mixes.

Despite this, in 2021, coal-fired electricity generation reached all-time highs globally, showing that eliminating coal from the energy mix will not be a simple task.

This infographic shows the aggressive phase-out of coal power that would be required in order to reach net zero goals by 2050, based on an analysis by Ember that uses data provided by the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Low-Cost Comes at a High Environmental Cost

Coal-powered electricity generation rose by 9.0% in 2021 to 10,042 Terawatt-hours (TWh), marking the biggest percentage rise since 1985.

The main reason is cost. Coal is the world’s most affordable energy fuel. Unfortunately, low-cost energy comes at a high cost for the environment, with coal being the largest source of energy-related CO2 emissions.

China has the highest coal consumption, making up 54% of the world’s coal electricity generation. The country’s consumption jumped 12% between 2010 and 2020, despite coal making up a lower percentage of the country’s energy mix in relative terms.

Together, China and India account for 66% of global coal consumption and emit about 35% of the world’s greenhouse gasses (GHG). If you add the United States to the mix, this goes up to 72% of coal consumption and 49% of GHGs.

How Urgent is to Phase Out Coal?

According to the United Nations, emissions from current and planned fossil energy infrastructure are already more than twice the amount that would push the planet over 1.5°C of global heating, a level that scientists say could bring more intense heat, fire, storms, flooding, and drought than the present 1.2°C.

Apart from being the largest source of CO2 emissions, coal combustion is also a major threat to public health because of the fine particulate matter released into the air.

As just one example of this impact, a recent study from Harvard University estimates air pollution from fossil fuel combustion is responsible for 1 in 5 deaths globally.

The Move to Renewables

Coal-powered electricity generation must fall by 13% every year until 2030 to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals of keeping global heating to only 1.5 degrees.

To reach the mark, countries would need to speed up the shift from their current carbon-intensive pathways to renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

How fast the transition away from coal will be achieved depends on a complicated balance between carbon emissions cuts and maintaining economic growth, the latter of which is still largely dependent on coal power.