U.S. greenhouse gas emissions rose more than any other G20 country last year, according to the UN Emissions Gap Report 2026. The U.S. was the only major economy where planet-warming pollution increased sharply, tied with Russia for the highest per capita emissions among G20 members. Higher electricity demand and federal policies that keep coal plants open, weaken vehicle fuel standards, and end solar and wind tax credits drove the increase. Global emissions stayed flat overall, which means U.S. gains are canceling out reductions elsewhere. The report puts the world on track for about 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming this century, above the Paris agreement targets. It says emissions need to fall about 25% in the next decade to keep warming below 2 degrees Celsius, but current country pledges would only deliver around 15%. The U.S. government rejected the report's findings and has pulled back from UN climate work. Even so, the emissions data is measured and reported independently, and the impacts of higher fossil fuel use are global. The report lands just before UN climate talks in Turkey, where U.S. officials will not participate.
