The United States emitted a grand total of 5,222 million metric tonnes of CO2 in 2020, which was an 11% decrease following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but this downward trend would prove to be only temporary. However, in comparison to 2005 CO2 emission levels, there was a 21% decrease, which I found to be interesting. In 2020 alone, carbon dioxide accounted for ~79% of GHG emissions, while nitrous oxide, methane, and various fluorinated gases made up the other 21%. 27% of these emissions were caused by transportation alone, electricity contributed to 1/4 of these emissions, and the rest were sectioned off into industry, commercial usage, and, unsurprisingly, agricultural energy consumption. Ten years prior, the overall emission measurement (circa 2010) fell around 5,594 million metric tonnes, which while not a huge difference, really puts things in perspective. If we could somehow figure out a balance between all the above aspects of everyday life, and managed to cut back on energy consumption in a realistic yet sustainable way, it would be for the better.
sources:
https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/inventory-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-sinks
https://www.statista.com/statistics/183943/us-carbon-dioxide-emissions-from-1999/
Yes, carbon emissions is a problem that is being worked on. I hope some progress is made over time. Good work.
One way to cut down on GHG emissions could be to build and plan more walkable, pedestrian-focused cities. If public transportation were more reliable and more used by the public, GHG emissions due to transportation would be significantly reduced.
Most people are not aware of what a significant decrease 11% really is. When people have the will to care about the environment, they can do a lot! The pandemic showed us the ways in which we could cut back in terms of CO2 emission. I am not suggesting that everybody should stay home for work from now on, but it’s certainly good to re-evaluate the ways that we can reduce our CO2 input