In 2019, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions totaled 6,558 million metric tons (14.5 trillion pounds) of carbon dioxide equivalents.
Carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere naturally when organisms respire or decompose (decay), carbonate rocks are weathered, forest fires occur, and volcanoes erupt. Carbon dioxide is also added to the atmosphere through human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels and forests and the production of cement.
Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide naturally - and trees are especially good at storing carbon removed from the atmosphere by photosynthesis.
Carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant, in fire extinguishers, for inflating life rafts and life jackets, blasting coal, foaming rubber and plastics, promoting the growth of plants in greenhouses, immobilizing animals before slaughter, and in carbonated beverages.
A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. This assumes the average gasoline vehicle on the road today has a fuel economy of about 22.0 miles per gallon and drives around 11,500 miles per year. Every gallon of gasoline burned creates about 8,887 grams of CO2.
In a nutshell, we release carbon dioxide when we exhale because it's produced in the cells of our body in order to break down the food that we eat and subsequently produce energy for sustaining life.
- Carbon is stored as carbon dioxide (CO2) and in smaller quantities as methane (CH4) in the atmosphere. - The atmosphere contains about 0.001% of the Earth's carbon.
The average human exhales about 2.3 pounds of carbon dioxide on an average day. (The exact quantity depends on your activity level-a person engaged in vigorous exercise produces up to eight times as much CO2 as his sedentary brethren.)
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2019, the United States emitted 5,130 million metric tons of energy-related carbon dioxide, while the global emissions of energy-related carbon dioxide totaled 33,621.5 million metric tons.
The study found that the average annual carbon dioxide emissions per American was a shocking 20 metric tons, in comparison to a world average of 4 tons. The world average is less than half the amount of the lowest carbon emissions of anyone in the U.S., which is 8.5 tons.
Summary: Every person emits the equivalent of approximately two tons of carbon dioxide a year from the time food is produced to when the human body excretes it, representing more than 20 percent of total yearly emissions.
Global energy-related CO2 emissions grew 1.7% in 2021 to reach a historic high of 33.1 Gt CO2. It was the highest rate of growth since 2013, and 70% higher than the average increase since 2010. Last year's growth of 560 Mt was equivalent to the total emissions from international aviation.
Natural Carbon Releases into the Atmosphere. Gases containing carbon move between the ocean's surface and the atmosphere through a process called diffusion.
The average US household produces 7.5 tons of CO2 equivalents per year. Here are things you can do to help reduce that amount.