Freight Facts and Figures 2009

Table 5-16. U.S. Transportation Sector CO₂ Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion by Fuel Type: 1990-2007

CO₂ accounts for nearly all of the transportation sector’s GHG emissions, primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels. Almost all of the energy consumed by the sector is petroleum-based and includes motor gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and residual oil.  Gasoline-fueled passenger cars and light-duty trucks are responsible for about 60 percent of CO₂ emissions in the transportation sector while the combustion of diesel fuel in heavy-duty trucks and jet fuel in aircraft produced much of the rest. 

Table in Excel format

Millions of metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent

Fuel	1990	2000	2005	2006	2007
Petroleum	1,448.8	1,764.7	1,848.2	1,847.4	1,852.0
Motor gasoline	982.7	1,135.7	1,181.1	1,169.7	1,166.7
Distillate fuel oil	261.2	394.7	453.0	464.7	470.6
Jet fuel	176.2	196.1	189.9	185.0	185.3
Residual fuel1	23.7	4.9	20.2	24.1	25.6
Aviation gasoline	3.1	2.5	2.4	2.3	2.2
Liquefied petroleum gas	1.4	0.7	1.7	1.6	1.6
Natural Gas	36.2	35.6	33.2	33.5	35.4
Transportation Total2	1,484.5	1,800.3	1,881.5	1,880.9	1,887.4
U.S. Total2	4,708.9	5,561.5	5,723.5	5,635.4	5,735.8
Transportation Sector as % of Total	31.5	32.4	32.9	33.4	32.9

¹Fluctuations in emissions estimates reflect data collection problems.

²Electricity-related emisions are not included in the transportation sector and U.S. totals.

Notes:

CO₂ equivalent is computed by multiplying the weight of the gas being measured by its estimated Global Warming Potential (GWP). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change developed the GWP concept to compare the ability of one GHG to trap heat in the atmosphere to another gas. Carbon comprises 12/44 of CO₂ by weight. Numbers may not add to totals due to rounding. Electricity-related emissions are not included in this table.

Source:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2007, EPA 430-R-09-004 (Washington, DC: 2009), Annex 2, tables A-11, A-12, A-13, A-18, and A-28 available at www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html as of July 13, 2009.

 

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