EPA Issues Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Inventory for 2005

April 25, 2007

U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases from all sources increased by 16 percent between 1990 and 2005, according to a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Greenhouse gas emissions are growing at a much slower pace than the U.S. economy, which expanded by 55 percent over the same time period. Total emissions of the six main greenhouse gases in 2005 were equivalent to 7,260 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. These gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. Between 2004 and 2005, greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.8 percent, largely due to a hot summer and a growing economy, both of which increased electricity use. Although greenhouse gases are produced from a wide variety of sources, fossil fuel combustion is the dominant source, generating nearly 80 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2005. See the report, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2005, on the EPA Web site.