Energy contribution to Greenhouse Gases 2005

Energy-related activities were the primary sources of U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 86 percent of total emissions on a carbon equivalent basis in 2003. This included 97, 39, and 15 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, respectively. Energy-related CO2 emissions alone constituted 83 percent of national emissions from all sources on a carbon equivalent basis, while the non-CO2 emissions from energy-related activities represented a much smaller portion of total national emissions (4 percent collectively).

Emissions from fossil fuel combustion comprise the vast majority of energy-related emissions, with CO2 being the primary gas emitted. Globally, approximately 24,240 Tg CO2 were added to the atmosphere through the combustion of fossil fuels in 2000, of which the United States accounted for about 23 percent.

excerpted from EPA 2005 Draft

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