Today, the US EPA released the 2015 data under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The report details the sixth year of greenhouse gas pollution trends from large industrial sources.
Overall, reported emissions decreased by almost 5% percent from 2014, and 8.2 percent from 2011. The more than 8,000 large sector facilities contribute about half of the total Greenhouse Gas emissions annually.
- Power plants accounted for approximately 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, which accounts for 30 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas pollution in 2015. This is a declined of 6.2 percent as compared to 2014, and 11.3 percent since 2011. These ~1,500 plants are the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
- Second to power plants, petroleum and natural gas systems reported 231 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, down 1.6 percent from than 2014. Overall, however, this sector is actually up over 4% from the 2011 figures.
- Most other sectors reported emissions reductions. The most significant declines were reported by the iron and steel sector and the production of fluorinated chemicals.
The data can be used by businesses and communities to find opportunies to reduce pollution and wasted energy and to enjoy cost savings. The report can also be used to aid in the development of climate policies
To learn more, check out the GHG Emmissions page. You can also utilize the EPA’s FLIGHT ( Facility Level Information on GreenHouse gases Tool), to “quickly and easily filter GHG data in a variety of ways, including by facility, industry, location, or gas.”
