The United States accounted for a significant share of the rise in global carbon dioxide emissions in 2025, as higher gas prices pushed power producers back toward coal, according to an Energy Institute report released on June 30.
The report, produced in partnership with Ember, the Kearney Institute and KPMG, showed that global energy-related carbon emissions from the production and use of energy rose 1.1% to 35,806 million tonnes of CO2 in 2025. The United States accounted for about 13.3% of that increase.
When emissions from the energy sector, gas flaring and methane were included, global emissions rose 1.1% to 41 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. The United States accounted for 36% of that increase, with total emissions growing 3.2% year on year, compared with 0.3% growth in China.
U.S. coal consumption jumped 10% last year, reversing a shift toward cleaner fuels and contributing to the rise in overall emissions.
