Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022

"View or download the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2022 (published April 2024) report, developed by the U.S. Government to meet annual commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and also the Paris Agreement.

Read or download the entire Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022 (PDF, 15.0 MB) or individual report chapters posted below. All data tables in the report will be available in CSV format soon.

Recommended citation: EPA (2024). Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2022 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 430R-24004. https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks-1990-2022.

You may need a PDF reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more."
Greenhouse Gas Emissions 

EPA Posts Pesticide Incident Data Publicl

" Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took a major step to increase transparency by posting 10 years of pesticide incident data on its website. Sharing this information advances EPA’s commitment to environmental justice and aligns with EPA’s Equity Action Plan by expanding the availability of data and capacity so the public and community organizations can better understand pesticide exposures, including exposures to vulnerable populations.

This action also advances the President’s transparency goal of ensuring that the public, including members of communities with environmental justice concerns, has adequate access to information on federal activities related to human health or the environment, as charged in Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All.

The data sets, which pull information from EPA’s Incident Data System (IDS), allow users to access raw data on pesticide exposure incidents such as the incident date, the reason for the report (e.g., adverse effect, product defect), and the severity of the incident. It may also provide information on the location of the incident, the pesticide product, and a description of the incident(s). EPA has not verified the raw data for accuracy or completeness, so users should be aware of this limitation before drawing any conclusions from the data..."
Pesticide Incident Data 

BEACON 2.0 - Beach Advisory and Closing On-line Notification

"Under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH) Act of 2000, EPA provides annual grants to coastal and Great Lakes states, territories, and eligible tribes to help local authorities monitor their coastal and Great Lakes beaches and notify the public of water quality conditions that may be unsafe for swimming. To learn more about the Beach Program, please visit the Beach Program Home Page.

Overview of BEACON 2.0

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the BEach Advisory and Closing Online Notification (BEACON) system to meet the Agency's requirement to provide to the public a database of pollution occurrences for coastal recreation waters. EPA's response to this requirement, BEACON, contains state-reported beach monitoring and notification data and is available online. The “States” (including Tribes and Territories) are not required to submit their beach season data to EPA until the beginning of the following calendar year and then we work with them to verify that the data is presented accurately on EPA's BEACON website. For links to state webpages, please see: https://www.epa.gov/beaches/state-and-local-beach-programs. The BEACON 2.0 User's Guide describes how to use the online BEACON 2.0 system to obtain state-reported beach monitoring and notification data..."
Beach Conditions

Air Quality Index (AQI) Basics

"What is the U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)?

The U.S. AQI is EPA’s index for reporting air quality.

How does the AQI work?

Think of the AQI as a yardstick that runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and the greater the health concern. For example, an AQI value of 50 or below represents good air quality, while an AQI value over 300 represents hazardous air quality

For each pollutant an AQI value of 100 generally corresponds to an ambient air concentration that equals the level of the short-term national ambient air quality standard for protection of public health. AQI values at or below 100 are generally thought of as satisfactory. When AQI values are above 100, air quality is unhealthy: at first for certain sensitive groups of people, then for everyone as AQI values get higher.

The AQI is divided into six categories. Each category corresponds to a different level of health concern. Each category also has a specific color. The color makes it easy for people to quickly determine whether air quality is reaching unhealthy levels in their communities.

Daily AQI Color	Levels of Concern	Values of Index	Description of Air Quality
Green	Good	0 to 50	Air quality is satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk.
Yellow	Moderate	51 to 100	Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Orange	Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups	101 to 150	Members of sensitive groups may experience health effects. The general public is less likely to be affected.
Red	Unhealthy	151 to 200	Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.
Purple	Very Unhealthy	201 to 300	Health alert: The risk of health effects is increased for everyone.
Maroon	Hazardous	301 and higher	Health warning of emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.

See the Activity Guides to learn ways to protect your health when the AQI reaches unhealthy levels.

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Five major pollutants

EPA establishes an AQI for five major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act. Each of these pollutants has a national air quality standard set by EPA to protect public health:

• ground-level ozone
• particle pollution (also known as particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10)
• carbon monoxide
• sulfur dioxide
• nitrogen dioxide

Using the Air Quality Index
Technical Assistance Document for the Reporting of Daily Air Quality – the Air Quality Index.."

Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts

"Citation:

Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., 2021.

Impact/Purpose:

This report contributes to a better understanding of the degree to which four socially vulnerable populations— defined based on income, educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and age- may be more exposed to the highest impacts of climate change in six categories.

Description:

Across the U.S., some individuals and communities are more susceptible to disproportionate harm from climate change due to differences in exposure and vulnerability to climate hazards. This report investigates the projected risks of climate change to socially vulnerable populations in the U.S. across six impact sectors: air quality, heat stress, labor, roads, coastal flooding, and inland flooding. (EPA 430-R-21-003)

URLs/Downloads:

Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts

Response to Comments   (PDF, 21 pp,  925 KB,  about PDF)

Peer Review Report   (PDF, 12 pp,  1290 KB,  about PDF).."
Climate Change an Social Responsibility 

EPA Announces New Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS Chemicals, $1 Billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding to Strengthen Health Protections

"Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under President Biden’s action plan to deliver clean water and Administrator Regan’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. EPA also announced that it is inviting states and territories to apply for $1 billion – the first of $5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant funding – to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, specifically in small or disadvantaged communities. These actions build on EPA’s progress to safeguard communities from PFAS pollution and scientifically inform upcoming efforts, including EPA’s forthcoming proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFOA and PFOS, which EPA will release in the fall of 2022.

“People on the front-lines of PFAS contamination have suffered for far too long. That’s why EPA is taking aggressive action as part of a whole-of-government approach to prevent these chemicals from entering the environment and to help protect concerned families from this pervasive challenge,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are also investing $1 billion to reduce PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water.”

“Today’s actions highlight EPA’s commitment to use the best available science to tackle PFAS pollution, protect public health, and provide critical information quickly and transparently,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA is also demonstrating its commitment to harmonize policies that strengthen public health protections with infrastructure funding to help communities—especially disadvantaged communities—deliver safe water.”.."
PFaS in Drinking Water 

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  

2021 TRI Preliminary Dataset

"The 2021 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) preliminary dataset contains data about chemical releases, waste management and pollution prevention activities that took place during 2021 at more than 20,000 federal and industrial facilities across the country.

The TRI preliminary dataset is available each July through September, giving the public access to the most recent TRI information, prior to EPA finalizing the National Analysis dataset in October. EPA publishes the National Analysis report, based on the October dataset, early the following calendar year. The data are available below.

 Introduction

 The 2021 TRI preliminary dataset consists of TRI data for calendar year 2021. Users should note that while these preliminary data have undergone the basic data quality checks included in the online TRI reporting software, they have not undergone the complete TRI data quality process. In addition, EPA does not aggregate or summarize these data, or offer any analysis or interpretation of them.

You can use the TRI preliminary dataset to:

• Identify how many TRI facilities operate in a certain geographic area (for example, a ZIP code), 
• Identify which chemicals are being managed by TRI facilities and in what quantities, and
• Find out if a particular facility initiated any pollution prevention activities in the most recent calendar year.

EPA will update the dataset several times in August and September based on information from facilities. EPA plans to publish the quality-checked 2021 dataset in October 2022..."
Toxics Release Inventory 

Tools and Strategies for Pollinator Protection

"There are many ways to minimize the exposure of bees and other pollinators to pesticides. This page describes some pollinator protection strategies used at the local, state, and federal level to preserve pollinators and their habitats. These strategies include Best Management Practices (BMPs), Managed Pollinator Protection Plans (MP3s), and mitigation measures to reduce pesticide exposure. Utilizing these practices can help protect pollinators and the plants who depend on them. 

EPA evaluates pesticides (e.g., insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, disinfectants, and biological products) for their risk to human health and the environment, including pollinator species. To assess risk to bees, EPA generally requires a suite of tests which follow methods outlined in EPA’s Pollinator Risk Assessment Guidance documents Pollinator Risk Assessment Guidance documents. EPA’s risk assessments for pollinators inform regulatory decisions on the proper use, storage, and disposal instructions on pesticide labels. These labels dictate how and when specific pesticides can be used and how risks can be mitigated.

Learn more about how EPA assesses risks to pollinators..."
Pollinators 

From Farm to Kitchen: The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste

"Over one-third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten, wasting the resources used to produce it and creating a myriad of environmental impacts. Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the United States, comprising 24 and 22 percent of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste, respectively. This wasted food presents opportunities to increase food security, foster productivity and economic efficiency, promote resource and energy conservation, and address climate change.

As the United States strives to meet the Paris Agreement targets to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, changes to the food system are essential. Even if fossil fuel emissions were halted, current trends in the food system would prevent the achievement of this goal. Globally, food loss and waste represent 8 percent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (4.4 gigatons CO2e annually), offering an opportunity for meaningful reductions.

Reducing food waste can also help feed the world’s growing population more sustainably. The United Nations (UN) predicts that the world population will reach 9.3 billion by 2050. This population increase will require a more than 50 percent increase in food production from 2010 levels. Decreasing food waste can lessen the need for new food production, shrinking projected deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and water scarcity.

In 2015, the United States announced a goal to halve U.S. food loss and waste by 2030, but the nation has not yet made significant progress. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepared this report to inform domestic policymakers, researchers, and the public about (1) the environmental footprint of food loss and waste (FLW) in the U.S. and (2) the environmental benefits that can be achieved by reducing U.S. FLW. The report examines the farm-to-kitchen (cradle-to-consumer) impacts of FLW, excluding the impacts of managing FLW (e.g., methane emissions from landfills), which will be covered in a separate companion report (The Environmental Impacts of U.S. Food Waste: Part 2).

Given the size and dynamic complexity of the U.S. food system, no single agreed-upon comprehensive estimate of the total amount of U.S. FLW exists. Instead, the literature includes multiple credible estimates, which differ in scope and methodology, that together provide insights into the magnitude and distribution of U.S. FLW. Estimates that include food lost or wasted during all stages of the food supply chain (from primary production to consumption) range from 73 to 152 million metric tons (161 to 335 billion pounds) per year, or 223 to 468 kg (492 to 1,032 pounds) per person per year, equal to approximately 35 percent of the U.S. food supply. Roughly half of this food is wasted during the consumption stage (households and food service), and fruits and vegetables and dairy and eggs are the most frequently wasted foods..."
Food waste and environmental impact 

EPA Releases Bold National Strategy to Transform Recycling in America

" Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the 2021 National Recycling Strategy to tackle major recycling challenges facing the nation and to create a stronger, more resilient, and cost-effective municipal solid waste recycling system. The 2021 strategy is also the first time EPA’s recycling strategy will address the climate impacts of producing, using, and disposing of materials and focus on the human health and environmental impacts of waste and waste-related facilities in overburdened communities, reflecting the Agency’s commitment to delivering environmental justice.

“Our nation’s recycling system is in need of critical improvements to better serve the American people. EPA’s National Recycling Strategy provides a roadmap to address system challenges and pave the way for the future of recycling,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “As we move forward with this strategy, EPA is committed to ensuring that historically underserved and overburdened communities share in the benefits that our work will deliver. Together with the historic investments in recycling from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, the strategy will help transform recycling and solid waste management across the country while creating jobs and strengthening our economy.”

“The full impact of waste materials is connected to a broad range of issues, and having a strategy that promotes better materials management can help lead us to solutions for these larger issues,” said Dr. Sacoby Wilson, EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council Member and University of Maryland Associate Professor/Director, Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health Initiative, Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. “We have to work with industries that are significant sources of single use products. And, when we address recycling, we must address where these waste products come from, where they go, and how they’re impacting the health, sustainability, and quality of life in communities of color.” 

The U.S. recycling system faces many challenges, including reduced markets for recycled materials, recycling infrastructure that has not kept pace with today’s diverse and changing waste stream, confusion about what materials can be recycled, and varying methodologies to measure recycling system performance. The 2021 National Recycling Strategy identifies actions to address these challenges that build on the collaborative efforts by stakeholders from across the recycling system that began under the 2019 National Framework for Advancing the U.S. Recycling System.

The National Recycling Strategy includes five strategic objectives with specific actions to strengthen the U.S. recycling system:

1. Improve markets for recycled commodities through market development, analysis, manufacturing, and research.
2. Increase collection of recyclable materials and improve recycling infrastructure through analysis, funding, product design, and processing efficiencies.
3. Reduce contamination in the recycled materials stream through outreach and education to the public on the value of proper recycling.
4. Enhance policies and programs to support recyclability and recycling through strengthened federal and international coordination, analysis, research on product pricing, and sharing of best practices.
5. Standardize measurement and increase data collection through coordinated recycling definitions, measures, targets, and performance indicators..."
   Recycling 

2020 TRI Preliminary Dataset

"The 2020 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) preliminary dataset contains data about chemical releases, waste management and pollution prevention activities that took place during 2020 at more than 21,000 federal and industrial facilities across the country.

The TRI preliminary dataset is available each July through September, giving the public access to the most recent TRI information, prior to finalizing the National Analysis dataset in October. EPA typically publishes the National Analysis report, based on the October dataset, early the following calendar year.

The data are available below. Note that TRI data only reflect submissions received by EPA from facilities that meet TRI reporting requirements. Other facilities in your area may be releasing toxic chemicals but either were not required to report to the TRI Program or have not yet submitted their 2020 data. In addition, a TRI facility may be managing a toxic chemical for which the TRI reporting threshold was not exceeded, resulting in that chemical not being reported to the TRI Program.

Dataset Status

• Includes reporting forms processed as of: September 22, 2021
• Estimated percentage complete: 99%
  (compared to the complete 2019 National Analysis dataset)
• Email us a question or comment

On this page:

• Introduction
• Frequently asked questions
• Get 2020 data with Envirofacts
• Download 2020 data
• Understand the data

Introduction

The 2020 TRI preliminary dataset consists of TRI data for calendar year 2020. Users should note that while these preliminary data have undergone the basic data quality checks included in the online TRI reporting software, they have not undergone the complete TRI data quality process. In addition, EPA does not aggregate or summarize these data, or offer any analysis or interpretation of them."
Toxics Release Inventory