A new report from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that fossil fuels extracted from federal public land account for 23.7% of the nation’s total CO2 emissions.
Public lands are both a source of CO2 emissions and a “carbon sink” where carbon is sequestered in soils, forests and grasslands. USGS estimates that carbon sequestration offsets about 15% of CO2 emissions from public lands fossil fuel extraction. Carbon capture is a critical component to reducing greenhouse gas, according to the recently released U.N. climate change report.