Does Natural Gas Cause One-Third of Us Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

Wisconsin Watch partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

One-third of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. in 2022 came from natural gas, according to the latest figures from the federal Energy Information Administration.

That compares with 46% from petroleum and 19% from coal.

The one-third reference was made in a social media ad that ran Jan. 22-27, 2024, and targeted Wisconsin users.

Most U.S. emissions of human-caused greenhouse gases come primarily from burning those three fuels for energy use.

All three were formed by pressure and heat on plant and animal remains that collected on the Earth’s surface and ocean floors millions of years ago.

The largest component of natural gas is methane, a greenhouse gas. The Energy Information Administration estimates the amount of carbon dioxide produced by power plants.

The latest figures, for 2022, show petroleum produced 2.38 pounds of CO2 per kilowatt hour of electricity generated; coal produced 2.3; and natural gas produced 0.97.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

U.S. Energy Information Administration: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Facebook: Climate Power ad

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Where greenhouse gases come from

U.S. Energy Information Administration: Natural gas, explained

Environmental Protection Agency: Importance of Methane

U.S. Energy Information Administration: How much carbon dioxide is produced per kilowatthour