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Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the United States—Estimates for 2005–22

Scientific Investigations Report 2024-5103
By: , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245103

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Abstract

In 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior requested that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produce a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use of fossil fuels from Federal lands. The first report in this series included emissions estimates from 2005 to 2014 and were reported for 29 States and two offshore areas. Native American and Tribal lands were not included in that analysis. This report recalculates those previous years (2005–14) with updated data and methods and extends the estimates to 2022. Nationwide emissions from fossil fuels produced on Federal lands in 2022 were 1,081.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMT CO2 Eq.) for CO2, 33.4 MMT CO2 Eq. for methane (CH4), and 4.3 MMT CO2 Eq. for nitrous oxide (N2O). Compared to 2005, the 2022 totals represent decreases in emissions for all three greenhouse gases (by 17 percent for CO2, 37 percent for CH4, and 30 percent for N2O). Emissions from fossil fuels produced on Federal lands represent, on average, 21.8 percent of U.S. emissions for CO2, 6.1 percent for CH4, and 1.3 percent for N2O over the 18 years included in this estimate. The trends and relative magnitudes of the greenhouse gas emissions estimated are roughly parallel to the Federal lands fossil fuel production volumes.

In 2021, Federal lands of the conterminous United States stored 70,424 MMT CO2 Eq. in terrestrial ecosystems. Soils stored most of the terrestrial ecosystem carbon (66 percent), followed by live vegetation (25 percent), deadwood (5 percent), and litter (4 percent). Carbon sequestration on Federal lands was highly variable over time, owing primarily to interannual variability in climate and weather, and variability in land use and land cover (LULC) change and disturbances, among these are wildfires and logging. Between 2005 and 2021, Federal lands sequestered an average of 83 MMT CO2 Eq./yr. By subtracting the cumulative effects of LULC and disturbance-related CO2 losses to the atmosphere from the total, we estimate that ecosystems at the national level sequestered CO2 at an annual mean rate of 17 MMT CO2 Eq./yr in a term called the net ecosystem exchange (NEE). This annual NEE sequestration value represents about 1.4 percent of average fossil fuel emissions over the same period.

The USGS estimates presented in this report represent an accounting for the emissions resulting from fossil fuel extraction on Federal lands and the end-use combustion of those fuels, as well as for the sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems on Federal lands. A combined net CO2 emissions estimate, which is the difference between the emitted and sequestered CO2 from both the fossil fuel and ecosystems estimates, provides context for evaluating the greenhouse gas contributions of activities on these lands. The estimates included in this report can provide context for future energy decisions, as well as a basis to track change in the future.

Suggested Citation

Merrill, M.D., Sleeter, B.M., and Freeman, P.A., 2024, Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration in the United States—Estimates for 2005–22: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2024–5103, 39 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20245103. [Supersedes USGS Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5131.]

ISSN: 2328-0328 (online)

Study Area

Table of Contents

  • Acknowledgments
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Fossil Fuel-Associated Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Federal Lands
  • Terrestrial Ecosystem-Associated Carbon Emissions and Sequestration on Federal Lands
  • Combined Net Emissions and Sequestration Results
  • Conclusions
  • References Cited
  • Glossary
  • Appendix 1. Detailed Methods: Fossil Fuel-Associated Emissions of Greenhouse Gases from Federal Lands
  • Appendix 2. Detailed Methods: Terrestrial Ecosystem-Associated Carbon Emissions and Sequestration on Federal Lands
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration in the United States: Estimates for 2005–22
Series title Scientific Investigations Report
Series number 2024-5103
DOI 10.3133/sir20245103
Year Published 2024
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center
Description Report: viii, 39 p.; Data Release
Country United States
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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