U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced greenhouse gas emissions have been decreasing overall since 2011.
The EPA released 2021 greenhouse gas data collected under the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, according to an Oct. 17 news release.
“There has been an overall long-term decreasing trend in industry GHG emissions since 2011, primarily driven by a decrease in emissions from power plants,” the release said. “In 2021, reported emissions from large industrial sources were approximately 4% higher than in 2020, reflecting an increase in economic activity following the economic slowdown and decrease in emissions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program provides “high-quality, long-term data for the largest emitters,” Joseph Goffman, principal deputy assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation, said in the release. He added the data contributes “important insights into greenhouse gas emissions trends.”
“As the United States makes strides to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the climate crisis, good data are more important than ever,” Goffman said, according to the release.
This is the 12th year data has been collected for most sectors under the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, the release said.
“As directed by Congress, EPA collects annual, facility-level emissions data from major industrial sources, including power plants, oil and gas production, iron and steel mills and landfills,” the release said.
