EPA – U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase in 2022

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on EPA - U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increase in 2022

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released its latest annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (GHG Inventory),* which is an overview of greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 to 2022. Net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were 5,489 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, a 1.3% increase from 2021. EPA said the increase is mostly due to higher energy use in 2022, reflecting the continued recovery in economic activity after the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The transportation sector didn’t increase.

“Through a rigorous development and review process, EPA annually refines and strengthens our greenhouse gas inventory, producing a comprehensive tally of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks,” said Joseph Goffman, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “Reflecting input from hundreds of experts across the government, academia, industry, and consulting, the GHG Inventory report is a model for high-quality and transparent national GHG accounting.” 

Crucially, emissions have declined 17% overall since 2005, which reflects the combined impacts of several factors, including energy market trends, technological changes including energy efficiency improvements, and the carbon intensity of energy fuel choices.

EPA made several changes this year, including updates to estimates for oil and gas and incorporation of long-term research into methods for estimating emissions and sinks from forested land. The GHG Inventory covers seven key greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride. In addition to tracking U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the Inventory also calculates carbon dioxide that is removed from the atmosphere through the uptake of carbon in forests and other vegetation.

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*GHG Inventory: This is a policy neutral report compiled annually since 1993 and submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and also the Paris Agreement. The report is prepared by EPA in collaboration with numerous experts from other federal agencies, state government authorities, research and academic institutions, and industry associations. National inventories for developed countries should be provided to the UNFCCC each year by April 15.

To engage the public and researchers, EPA conducts an annual public review and comment process for this document. The document was made available on the EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions website and announced via Federal Register Notice for 30 days. Comments received after the closure of the public comment period are accepted and considered for the next edition of this annual report. Public review of this year’s report occurred from 15 Feb. to 15 March, and comments received are posted to the docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2024-0004. Responses to comments will be posted on EPA’s website within 2-4 weeks following publication of this report.

About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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