The U.S. is a top contributor of carbon emissions on the global stage. Factors like the highest emitting states, energy sources used, sector consumption, cost of climate events, and the health effects of poor air quality can be used to gauge the state of domestic environmental, economic, and social conditions.
Texas, California, and Florida ranked as the highest emitters of carbon dioxide in 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Texas ranked first and emitted over double the amount as California, which ranked second.
In 2022, natural gas made up the largest portion of all energy sources in the total energy supply for the U.S., according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Natural gas was only 0.2 percentage points higher than oil. Together they accounted for over two-thirds of all energy sources used.
The EIA found that the transportation and industrial sectors consumed 71% of total U.S. energy consumption in 2022. The residential and commercial sectors were responsible for 16% and 13% of total U.S. energy consumption, respectively.
Between 1980-2023, an increasing trend can be observed in the cost and frequency of billion-dollar climate-related disasters, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).
Many health conditions have been linked with air contaminants in studies conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Special populations are considered more at risk, according to the American Lung Association.