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Climate Data United States
EIA says U.S. energy CO2 rose 2 percent in 2025
What happened
The U.S. Energy Information Administration released its 2025 energy-related carbon dioxide emissions report on July 21. EIA estimated that U.S. energy CO2 emissions increased by 2 percent, or about 115 million metric tons, in 2025, with the electric power sector rising 4 percent as electricity demand grew and coal generation increased. EIA also reported that wind generation rose 3 percent and solar generation rose 34 percent, which curbed some of the increase from power generation.
Why it matters
The report shows why clean electricity growth has to outrun demand growth. More solar and wind helped, but higher power demand and more coal generation still pushed total energy-related CO2 higher.
What to watch
- Final revisions to preliminary 2025 emissions data in later EIA releases.
- Whether 2026 electricity demand, data-center load, and coal generation repeat the 2025 pattern.
- How much solar, wind, storage, efficiency, and transmission are added fast enough to change the emissions curve.
Sources & evidence
- EIA says U.S. energy CO2 rose 2 percent in 2025EIA U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions 2025 report released July 21, 2026.
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