Headline : U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rise after pandemic, ag emissions climb slightly

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The latest greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show U S. emissions rising after a pandemic-induced dip, creating a tougher challenge for the Biden administration to reach its 2030 climate target. The data show overall emissions rose by more than 6% from 2020 to 2021, driven largely by an increase in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion linked to economic activity rebounding after the COVID-19 pandemic. Agriculture emissions, primarily linked to large-scale animal operations and nitrogen fertilizer use, continued a steady long-term climb by rising slightly in 2021.

The latest EPA numbers make achieving the Biden administration’s Paris Climate Commitment of a 50% emissions reduction (from 2005 levels) by 2030 more difficult. The EPA reported that U.S. GHGs in 2021 were only 16.3% below 2005 levels. The 2021 numbers represent the first year of the Biden administration but do not reflect action taken through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (late 2021) or the Inflation Reduction Act (2022), two major spending bills that incorporate climate goals. The IRA included an additional $20 billion for popular farm conservation programs that could bring climate benefits.

Agriculture emissions make up almost 9.3% of total U.S. emissions, reported the EPA. When combined with on-farm fossil fuel use, the percentage rises to 9.9% and the addition of on-farm electricity drives the total to10.5% of all GHG emissions. (p. 433). Agriculture greenhouse gas emissions are primarily methane (from ruminants and their manure) and nitrous oxide (from nitrogen fertilizer). The EPA reported that, “Between 1990 and 2021, CO2 (carbon dioxide) and CH4 (methane) emissions from agricultural activities increased by 16.2 percent and 15.7 percent, respectively, while N2O (nitrous oxide) emissions from agricultural activities fluctuated from year to year but increased by 4.1 percent overall.” (p. 423)

The EPA reported that fertilizer use (both synthetic and manure-based) for crop production contributed 48% of agriculture-related emissions and accounted for 74% of U.S. nitrous oxide emissions overall. The EPA report found that, “Direct N2O emissions from croplands occur throughout all of the cropland regions but tend to be high in the Midwestern Corn Belt Region (particularly, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska), where a large portion of the land is used for growing highly fertilized corn and N-fixing soybean crops.”(p.453) And “Indirect N2O emissions from surface runoff and leaching of applied/mineralized N in croplands is highest in the 8 Midwestern Corn Belt states.” (p.455) The EPA also reported that “Emissions from ammonia (fertilizer) production have increased since 2016, due to the addition of new ammonia production facilities and new production units at existing facilities.”

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