U. S. Greehouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, 1990--2020

"An emissions inventory that identifies and quantifies a country's anthropogenic1 sources and sinks of greenhouse gases is essential for addressing climate change. This Inventory adheres to both (1) a comprehensive and detailed set of methodologies for estimating national sources and sinks of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, and (2) a common and consistent format that enables Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to compare the relative contribution of different emission sources and greenhouse gases to climate change.

In 1992, the United States signed and ratified the UNFCCC. As stated in Article 2 of the UNFCCC, “The ultimate objective of this Convention and any related legal instruments that the Conference of the Parties may adopt is to achieve, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Convention, stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system. Such a level should be achieved within a time-frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.”2

As a signatory to the UNFCCC, consistent with Article 43 and decisions at the First, Second, Fifth, and Nineteenth Conference of Parties,4 the United States is committed to submitting a national inventory of anthropogenic sources and sinks of greenhouse gases to the UNFCCC by April 15 of each year. The United States views this report, in conjunction with Common Reporting Format (CRF) reporting tables that accompany this report, as an opportunity to fulfill this annual commitment under the UNFCCC.

This executive summary provides the latest information on U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emission trends from 1990 through 2020..."
Greenhouses Gases