In this Jan. 7, 2013 photo, a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter flies over the Kulluk, the Shell floating drilling barge off Kodiak Island in Alaska’s Kiliuda Bay, as salvage teams conduct an in-depth assessment of its seaworthiness. Citing the disappointing results from an exploratory well in 2015, and challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment, Shell abandoned drilling in U.S. Arctic waters. The Trump administration is pursuing petroleum lease sales in Arctic waters but an analyst says potential bidders may find other areas more attractive. (James Brooks | Kodiak Daily Mirror File)

In this Jan. 7, 2013 photo, a U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter flies over the Kulluk, the Shell floating drilling barge off Kodiak Island in Alaska’s Kiliuda Bay, as salvage teams conduct an in-depth assessment of its seaworthiness. Citing the disappointing results from an exploratory well in 2015, and challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment, Shell abandoned drilling in U.S. Arctic waters. The Trump administration is pursuing petroleum lease sales in Arctic waters but an analyst says potential bidders may find other areas more attractive. (James Brooks | Kodiak Daily Mirror File)

Report: Alaskans fourth highest greenhouse gas emitters per-capita

Human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Alaska have decreased by 8 percent since 1990, according to an updated report from the Department of Environmental Conservation released Tuesday.

The state’s per-capita emissions are still some of the highest in the nation, but overall, Alaska is 40th out of all 50 states and Washington, D.C. for greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the new report, Alaska has the fourth highest per-capita greenhouse gas emissions of any state in the country. Only West Virginia, North Dakota and Wyoming came in higher in per-capita emissions.

The updated report adds data from 2011-2015 to a report from 1990-2010. Some of the trends found in the report are new, some are ongoing.

“One of the really significant findings in some ways was the stability that we’re seeing in this report,” said Denise Koch, director of the Division of Air Quality. “The major emitters are the same, those patterns haven’t changed.”

In 2014, Alaskans contributed roughly 35 million metric tons of carbon and carbon equivalent. Thirty-nine states had higher overall greenhouse gas emissions, with Texas being the highest at almost 650 million metric tons and D.C. the lowest with just a few metric tons.

Each of the states which came in higher in per-capita emissions has a population below 2 million and comparably large amounts of industry. Industry (54 percent) and transportation (35 percent) are Alaska’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters by sector.

“We do know that’s consistently been the largest slice of the pie,” Koch said.

The report will inform Gov. Bill Walker’s new Climate Action Leadership team, Koch added. It measures six gases, including carbon dioxide, known to contribute to global warming. Known as the “Kyoto” chemicals, the report measures how much of each Alaskans are putting into the atmosphere and weights them based on their propensity to increase the greenhouse effect, a leading contributor to global warming. Natural sources of greenhouse gases, like wildfires, are not included in the report.

The state has seen an overall decrease of about 8 percent in the amount of greenhouse gas, measured in millions of metric tons, released into the atmosphere on an annual basis since 1990. That decrease has kept pace with an overall decrease in U.S. emissions.

Alaska’s emissions peaked at about 50 million metric tons 1995-2007 and have continued on a mostly downward trend since then, dropping down to around 40 million metric tons in 2015.

The decline could have to do with changes to the economy and the oil industry. Or it could be due to changing cultural practices, like fewer people opting to bike to work or reuse shopping bags.

“We can’t pinpoint a part cause for that decline,” Koch said.

Alaska’s emissions are a small part of the U.S.’s overall, making up 0.63 percent of total U.S. human-caused emissions. Worldwide, that share is about .009 percent.


• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 and kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KevinGullufsen.


A chart from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s air quality division shows Alaska’s greenhouse gas emissions compared to national emissions.

A chart from the Department of Environmental Conservation’s air quality division shows Alaska’s greenhouse gas emissions compared to national emissions.

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

Students arrive at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé for the first day of the 2024-25 school year Aug. 15. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Students return unharmed to school after smoke detected at JDHS

CCFR gave the “all clear” for school to resume normal schedule.

Fireworks detonate just above a barge in Gastineau Channel due to a mishap during the show that began just after midnight on July 4, 2023. (Photo by Bob Gross)
City leaders consider alternatives to July 4 fireworks show after 2023 mishap raises safety concerns

Assembly members OKs same show this year if volunteer group willing, exploring other options for future.

Tim Ackerman begins the process of removing a dead seal’s pelt on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, on the Letnikof Cove shoreline. (Rashah McChesney/Chilkat Valley News)
Five headless seals have washed up on Chilkat Valley beaches in the last few months; here’s possibly why

Local marine mammal hunter weighs says the carcasses offer a glimpse into Alaska’s marine ecosystem.

Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people gather in Juneau for the opening of Celebration on June 5, 2024. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
New lawsuit seeks to limit Alaska Native tribes’ authority, stop Eklutna gambling hall

State challenges legal interpretation that allows tribes to exert authority over as much as 2.7M acres.

The Alaska State Capitol is seen on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in front of snow-covered Mount Juneau. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Gov. Dunleavy proposes new limits on Alaskans’ ability to record conversations

A new proposal from Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy would require all sides… Continue reading

Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist asks participants to kneel as a gesture to “stay grounded in the community” during a protest in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Wednesday focused on President Donald Trump’s actions since the beginning of his second term. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Trump protest rally at Alaska State Capitol targets Nazi-like salutes, challenges to Native rights

More than 120 people show up as part of nationwide protest to actions during onset of Trump’s second term.

A sign at the former Floyd Dryden Middle School on Monday, June 24, 2024, commemorates the school being in operation from 1973 to 2024. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Assembly ponders Floyd Dryden for tribal youth programs, demolishing much of Marie Drake for parking

Tlingit and Haida wants to lease two-thirds of former middle school for childcare and tribal education.

A person is detained in Anchorage in recent days by officials from the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (FBI Anchorage Field Office photo)
Trump’s immigration raids arrive in Alaska, while Coast Guard in state help deportations at southern US border

Anchorage arrests touted by FBI, DEA; Coast Guard plane from Kodiak part of “alien expulsion flight operations.”

Most Read