EIA: U.S. C&I Energy Emissions account for nearly half of nation's falling Carbon Emissions

It’s a long, long way from Net Zero, and it was certainly impacted by a catastrophic health issue, but U.S. carbon emissions took a big positive step backwards in 2020, according to a new report from the federal Energy Information Administration.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emissions reduction actions drove total U.S. energy consumption down to its lowest level since 1983, the EIA says. The nation’s energy actions emitted about 4.6 billion metric tons (Bmt) of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas contributor which many scientists concur as warming the planet to dangerous levels.

The 4.6 billion metric tons of CO₂ emitted in 2020 was an 11 percent decrease from the previous year. U.S. natural gas consumption accounted for 1.7 billion Bmt of CO₂, slightly more than a third of the overall energy emissions total.

The nation’s industrial sector was responsible for 32 percent of those gas-fired emissions, while the electric power sector accounted for 38 percent. Overall, the U.S. industrial sector emitted 1.3 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, 41 percent of that from natural gas use, 28 percent from electricity power generation and 25 percent from petroleum, according to the EIA.

Coal, considered by many to be the worst carbon polluter, was only 7 percent of U.S. industrial sector emissions, the EIA report says. Overall, coal-fired power and usage accounted for 900 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions in 2020.

The U.S. commercial sector emitted 0.7 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, or 16% of total U.S. energy-related CO₂ emissions, the least of any sector, the EIA report says. In 2020, 69% of commercial sector CO₂ emissions came from electric power generation, and 24% was from direct consumption of natural gas.

Together, the nation's C&I sector totaled about 2 Bmt, or 43 percent of U.S. carbon emissions from energy use.

The U.S. transportation sector emitted 1.6 Bmt of CO₂ in 2020, or about 36% of the nation’s total energy-related CO₂ emissions. U.S. transportation sector CO₂ emissions dropped 15% from 2019 as a result of the decrease in petroleum consumption for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, petroleum accounted for 97% of U.S. transportation sector CO₂ emissions.

The forecasted C&I energy transition to E-mobility (electric fleet vehicles) could cut U.S. carbon emissions by almost 500 million metric tons, or more than 10 percent of the 2020 emissions total, according to some forecasts.

Other reports have challenged those figures and saying that the net emissions reduction in the EV transition is not nearly as large as proponents contend. Many companies are considering shifts to EV fleets, while a group of utilities are currently striving to develop charging infrastructure that would alleviate concerns about range mileage.