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U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories | U.S. Inventory-Related Documents | CO2 Emissions from Electric Power Generation | Additional ReportsU.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions InventoriesThese publications have been developed by the U.S. Government to meet U.S. commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Article 4.1a of the UNFCCC requires that all countries periodically publish and make available to the Conference of the Parties (COP), inventories of anthropogenic emissions and removals by sinks of all greenhouse gases not controlled by the Montreal Protocol. General information about greenhouse gas emissions.
Subsequent decisions by the COP require the U.S. to submit these reports on an annual basis and include emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and removal of these gases by sinks.
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Other U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Related Documents
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector, 1990–2003, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, EPA 420 R 06 003, March 2006. Please see the Executive Summary for an overview of this report.
- Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Uncertainty Management Plan for the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory:
Background on the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Process (PDF, 126 KB) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA 430-R-02-007A, June 2002.
Procedures Manual for Quality Assurance/Quality Control and Uncertainty Analysis (PDF, 497 KB) U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Atmospheric Programs, EPA 430-R-02-007B, June 2002.
One of the primary goals of the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Program is to continually improve the quality of its emission and removal (i.e., sink) estimates and documentation. To this end, the U.S. inventory program has developed a comprehensive and unified approach to managing quality and uncertainty. The philosophy underlying the approach is that methodological advances, improvements in documentation and clarity to facilitate transparency, quality control and quality assurance, and uncertainty analysis should all be integrated into one comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory system.
This Background report provides an overview of the underlying organizational structure and process by which the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks and its supporting documentation are produced. The audience for the Background report includes those involved in preparing and checking the inventory and its associated documentation, as well as other parties interested in understanding the inventory process. The companion report, Procedures Manual for Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Uncertainty Analysis describes a comprehensive and detailed set of procedures that the United States is implementing in order to check and continually improve the quality of the inventory estimates and the documents in which these estimates are reported, and to estimate the uncertainty surrounding the inventory estimates. To facilitate these tasks, the Procedures Manual also includes detailed templates and forms to guide and document QA/QC and uncertainty analysis efforts. MS Word versions of these forms may be downloaded here (Zip file, 146 KB) for completing electronically.
This excerpt describes the characteristics of each of the various greenhouse gases and discusses the concept of Global Warming Potential (GWP) values. Both direct and indirect greenhouse gases are addressed. A detailed comparison of GWP values from the IPCC's Second Assessment Report (SAR) and Third Assessment Report (TAR) is also made, including the effect of a change in GWP values on U.S. greenhouse gas emission trends. Overall, revisions to GWP values do not have a significant effect on U.S. emission trends.
This excerpt provides emission estimates and trends by a reclassified set of major economic sectors, which are more intuitive than IPCC Sectors. Emissions are reported by the following economic sectors: Residential, Commercial, Industry, Transportation, Electricity Generation, Agriculture, and U.S. Territories.
In order to ensure accuracy and reliability of inventory estimates, quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) resources and activities should be directed to the key source categories in a given country’s greenhouse gas emissions inventory. The IPCC’s Good Practice Guidance defines a key source category as a “[source category] that is prioritized within the national inventory system because its estimate has a significant influence on a country’s total inventory of direct greenhouse gases in terms of the absolute level of emissions, the trend in emissions, or both.” See Chapter 7 in Methodological Choice and Recalculation in IPCC (2000). 
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Carbon Dioxide Emissions from the Generation of Electric Power in the United States
These reports review changes in U.S. CO2 emissions from electricity generation on a national and regional basis. They provide estimates of CO2 emissions reductions from voluntary programs and projections of the environmental effects of Federal Electricity Restructuring Legislation.
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Additional Reports
- Analysis of Costs to Abate International Emissions of Ozone-Depleting Substance (ODS) Substitute Emissions (2004; PDF, 142 pp., 670 KB; appendices: PDF, 167 pp., 819 KB; errata sheet: PDF, 8 pp., 120 KB) USEPA (EPA 430-R-04-006) This report presents the U.S. EPA's baseline forecast of emissions of Hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and Perfluorocarbon (PFC) gases from the major sectors that use these gases as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (ODSs), and EPA's cost estimates of reducing these emissions. Emission estimates are given for different countries, regions, and the world, for each sector, for the years 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020. This report also describes the methodology used for the calculation of emission estimates in the U.S. and other countries, as well as the methodology used to estimate emission reduction potentials and costs, thereby enabling analysts to replicate these results or use the approaches described to conduct similar analyses as new information becomes available. (Adobe Reader 6.0 or newer recommended).
- U.S. High GWP Emissions 1990-2010: Inventories, Projections and Opportunities for Reductions June 2001 (2001; PDF, 563 KB) USEPA (EPA 000-F-97-000) Cover page (111k pdf) This report presents the U.S. EPA’s baseline forecast of High Global Warming Potential (GWP) emissions from the major sources in the U.S., and EPA’s cost estimates of reducing these emissions. Emission estimates are given for 1990 through 1999 with projections for 2000 to 2010. The cost analysis is for 2010. This report also provides a methodology for the calculation of emission estimates and reduction costs, thereby enabling analysts to replicate these results or use the approaches described to conduct similar analyses for other countries.
- U.S. Methane Emissions 1990-2020: Inventories, Projections, and Opportunities for Reductions (1999; PDF, 842 KB) USEPA (EPA 430-R-99-013)
This report presents the U.S. EPA’s baseline forecast of methane emissions from the major anthropogenic sources in the U.S., and EPA’s cost estimates of reducing these emissions. Emission estimates are given for 1990 through 1997 with projections for 2000 to 2020. The cost analysis is for 2000, 2010, and 2020. This report also provides a methodology for the calculation of emission estimates and reduction costs, thereby enabling analysts to replicate these results or use the approaches described to conduct similar analyses for other countries.
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Management of Selected Materials in Municipal Solid Waste (1998; PDF, 1.2M) USEPA (EPA 530-R-98-013)
Integrates a wealth of information on GHG implications of various municipal solid waste management options — source reduction, recycling, composting, combustion, and landfilling. Provides GHG emission factors for the following items: newspaper; office paper; corrugated cardboard; aluminum cans; steel cans; glass containers; plastic (HDPE, LDPE, and PET); food scraps; yard trimmings; and mixed municipal solid waste, mixed recyclables, and mixed paper.
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