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Energy & Emissions Environment & Climate Spotlight: Air Quality Government
Energy & Emissions Fossil fuels account for 79% of US energy consumption. The share of energy consumption from nuclear and renewable sources has doubled since 1980 to 21% in 2020. Forty-two percent of US renewable and nuclear energy consumption is from nuclear sources, followed by 23% from biomass like wood and biofuels. In 2018, the US ranked fifth among the world’s 10 largest economies for its proportion of energy consumption coming from renewable and nuclear energy. In 2018, 51.6% of Washington's energy consumption was from renewable and nuclear, the highest nationwide. New Hampshire was second, with 51.5%. The US emitted 5.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2018, making up 15% of the world’s emissions. Transportation is the largest source of US emissions, surpassing electricity generation in 2017. The US emitted 16.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide per person in 2018, ranking 3rd among the world’s top 15 gross emitters. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were 11% lower in 2020 than 2019, partly due to pandemic travel restrictions. The average American generated 4.9 lbs of solid trash (food waste, paper, etc.) daily in 2018, up from 3.7 lbs per day in 1980.
Environment & Climate 2020 was the second-warmest year on record. All states, and especially in the Northeast, have become warmer over the past century. Average rainfall is 5% higher at the beginning of the 21st century than it was at the beginning of the 20th century. States in the Northeast and along the Mississippi River are getting more precipitation. In 1980, the average US county had good air quality 59% of days. In 2020, that rose to 88% of days.
Spotlight: Air Quality
Government There are 715 animal species listed as threatened or endangered, including 139 types of fish, 106 birds, and 78 mammals. The federal government owned 27% of American land as of 2018, down 5% since 1980. The federal government collected $7.6 billion in revenue from energy and mineral extraction on its lands and waters in FY 2020, a 37% decrease from 2010, adjusting for inflation. There were 237 million visits to land managed by the National Park Service (including national parks, historical sites, and national monuments) in 2020, 28% fewer than in 2019. Despite the pandemic, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park received 12 million visits, remaining the country’s most-visited National Park. The federal government spent $40.9 billion in 2020, or 0.6% of all federal expenditures, on the environment and natural resources (not including spending on renewable energy). State and local governments spent $62.1 billion on the environment and natural resources in 2018, $34.0 billion of which went to local parks and recreation services (net of fees collected). Combining bills that became public law, executive orders and presidential memoranda, and significant rulemaking by executive agencies, there were 46 federal actions on land, energy, and the environment in 2020.

Environment & Climate

What is the state of our environment and climate?

Environment & Climate

2020 was the second-warmest year on record.

The average global temperature was 0.98 °C (1.76 °F) above the 20th century average. It was also 0.02 °C (0.04 °F) below 2016, the warmest year on record.

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Environment & Climate

All states, and especially in the Northeast, have become warmer over the past century.

Between 1895 and 2019, the average temperature in half of US counties rose more than 2.7°F (1.5°C), a key threshold of climate warming identified by NASA.

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Environment & Climate

Average rainfall is 5% higher at the beginning of the 21st century than it was at the beginning of the 20th century.

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Environment & Climate

States in the Northeast and along the Mississippi River are getting more precipitation.

Others are becoming drier, with California experiencing the greatest drop in average annual precipitation over the past century.

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Environment & Climate

In 1980, the average US county had good air quality 59% of days. In 2020, that rose to 88% of days.

Adjusting for population change, Hawaii had the largest air quality decrease per square mile between 1980 and 2020, partly due to volcanic air pollution. California had the largest improvement.

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The EPA defines air as “good” when it has an air quality index (AQI) value between 0 and 50. The AQI is based on the concentration of five criteria pollutants including carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

Continue exploring the State of the Earth

Energy & Emissions

How do energy and emissions in the United States compare to the rest of the world?

Air Quality

How has air quality changed across the United States since 1980?

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