The latest U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) emissions report shows a consistent decline in greenhouse gas emissions from federal lands since 2009. According to the analysis, emissions from these lands now account for 21.8% of total U.S. carbon dioxide emissions, reflecting a drop from 1,368.2 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent in 2005 to 1,118.9 million metric tons in 2022.
Reductions span all three major greenhouse gases:
These rates surpass the overall U.S. emissions decline for the same period, suggesting effective climate mitigation efforts on federal lands.
The report identifies Wyoming, the offshore Gulf of Mexico, and New Mexico as the largest contributors to federal land emissions, with Wyoming alone responsible for 41% of carbon dioxide emissions and 36% of methane emissions. This underscores the outsized influence of specific states on overall federal emissions profiles.
While emissions have shown a long-term decline, recent data indicates a slight rise between 2020 and 2022. USGS research geologist Matthew Merrill suggests this may be related to pandemic-related disruptions, though the longer-term implications remain unclear.
Federal lands play a crucial role in carbon sequestration, but the report reveals significant challenges. New methodologies indicate that ecosystems offset just 1.4% of fossil fuel emissions annually from 2005 to 2021, a stark contrast to earlier estimates of 15%. Wildfires and droughts have particularly impacted carbon storage; during severe fire years such as 2020 and 2021, emissions reached nearly three times the historical average. By comparison, in low-fire years like 2019, ecosystems offset up to 31.5% of emissions.
As of 2021, federal lands stored approximately 70,424 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. The majority of this carbon is found in soils (66%), followed by live vegetation (25%), deadwood (5%), and litter (4%). Carbon storage is also geographically concentrated, with 10 states accounting for over 70% of the total, led by California, which holds 12% of the nation's federal land-stored carbon.
The USGS emissions report underscores significant regional variations in carbon storage density:
California, despite its smaller federal land area compared to Nevada, demonstrates the highest net primary productivity—removing 171 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually, driven by its extensive forest lands.
California faces the largest average annual carbon emissions from:
These figures highlight the challenges of balancing resource use with conservation.
Federal lands cover 28% of the U.S., making their management essential for climate mitigation. The report highlights the need for regional strategies tailored to varying carbon storage capacities, the prioritization of soil conservation to preserve the largest carbon reservoirs, and improved resilience to climate-related disturbances like wildfires and droughts.
USGS Director Dave Applegate emphasizes that these findings offer a critical foundation for future policy decisions, providing a roadmap for sustainable resource management and ecosystem restoration across federal lands.
