For the first time in three years, greenhouse gas emissions in the United States went up. A bitterly cold start to 2025, combined with rising electricity demand from data centres and cryptocurrency mining, pushed emissions higher.
Why Emissions Increased
During the winter, households in colder regions burned more natural gas to stay warm, with fuel use up about 7 percent compared to 2024. At the same time, coal use jumped 13 percent as power companies struggled to meet the extra demand.
The rapid growth of data centres and crypto mining, especially in Texas and the Ohio Valley, added further pressure to the electricity grid. Higher natural gas prices made coal a cheaper alternative, contributing to its resurgence. Coal, which had been declining for years, saw its second increase in the past decade. Delays in shutting down older coal plants also played a part.
Michael Gaffney from the Rhodium Group noted that much of the extra energy demand comes from data centres and crypto mining, suggesting this trend could continue.
Renewables Are Still Growing
Despite higher fossil fuel use, solar energy saw strong growth, increasing 34 percent in 2025—the fastest rise since 2017.
Transportation remains the largest source of emissions in the US. While road traffic keeps increasing, vehicle emissions stayed mostly flat thanks to more hybrid and electric cars. Hybrid car use alone rose 25 percent compared to 2024.
Policy and Market Factors
Experts say past policy changes, like the rollbacks under the Trump administration, didn’t directly affect 2025 emissions. However, policies encouraging natural gas exports and the expansion of data centres may have indirectly contributed to the increase.
