Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Table 5-15. U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic End-Use Sector: 1990-2007

When emissions from electricity generation are allocated among end-use sectors (on the basis of each sector's share of electricity consumption), the industrial sector produces the largest amount of GHG emissions, followed closely by transportation. The transportation sector is responsible for about 28 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted in the United States and nearly 7 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted globally.

From 1990 to 2007, transportation GHG emissions rose by 29 percent, caused largely by increases in travel demand and a leveling of vehicle fuel economy among other factors. Over this period, truck vehicle miles increased by 55 percent.

Table in Excel format

Electricity-related emissions distributed among sectors¹

Millions of metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent

	1990	1995	2000	2005	2006	2007
Industry²	2,166.5	2,219.8	2,235.5	2,081.2	2,082.3	2,081.2
Transportation³	1,546.7	1,688.3	1,923.2	2,003.6	1,999.0	2,000.1
Commercial	942.2	1,000.2	1,140.0	1,214.6	1,201.5	1,251.2
Residential	950.0	1,024.2	1,159.2	1,237.0	1,176.1	1,229.8
Agriculture	459.2	489.7	503.2	511.7	530.0	530.1
U.S. Territories⁴	34.1	41.1	47.3	60.5	62.3	57.7
Total	6,098.7	6,463.3	7,008.2	7,108.6	7,051.1	7,150.1

Key: CO₂ = carbon dioxide.

¹Emissions from electricity generation are allocated to each economic end-use sector on the basis of each sector's share of aggregate electricity consumption. This method assumes each sector consumes electricity that is generated from the national average mix of fuels according to their carbon intensity.

²Industry includes manufacturing, construction, and mining. Six manufacturing industries--petroleum refinieries, chemicals, primary metals, paper, food, and nonmetallic mineral products--represent the vast majority of energy use and thus GHG emissions in the industrial sector.

³Includes emissions from military aircraft (16.0 millions of metric tonnes) and "other" transportation, primarily lubricants (10.2 millions of metric tonnes). Emissions from international bunker fuels are not included.

⁴Electricity-related emissions were not distributed to U.S. Territories.

Notes:

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions include CO₂, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. CO₂ equivalent is computed by multiplying the weight of the gas being measured by its estimated Global Warming Potential (GWP). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change developed the GWP concept to compare the ability of one GHG to trap heat in the atmosphere to another gas. Carbon comprises 12/44 of CO₂ by weight. Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, EPA 430-R-09-004 (Washington, DC: 2009), table ES-8, available at www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html as of July 13, 2009.

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