In its January 2021 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects that energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States will increase in 2021.
It said economic growth and the lessening of pandemic-related restrictions will result in more energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions. EIA expects total energy-related CO2 emissions to increase to 4.8 billion metric tons in 2021 and 4.9 billion metric tons in 2022.
US energy-related CO2 emissions fell by an estimated 11 percent in 2020, largely because of reduced travel and other factors that have led to less energy consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the short term, EIA forecasts rising CO2 emissions as a result of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in fuel mix, and greater demand for residential electricity as colder winter weather leads to more heating demand in 2021.
EIA expects petroleum to account for about 46 percent of total US energy-related CO2 emissions in 2021 and 47 percent of total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022. Most of these emissions come from the transportation sector as a result of increased travel as the economy recovers from the effects of the pandemic. For more information visit www.eia.gov
