For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has not released a mandatory annual report detailing pollution generated in the United States, which has led to climate change.

As a member of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United States must submit a national report on greenhouse gas emissions by April 15 each year. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinking Stock Report is critical to the government and the public understanding of where most of the country’s greenhouse gas pollution, so policies can be developed to reduce it and help achieve the reduction target.

When the deadline for the publication’s 2025 report was passed and still cannot be made available to the public, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), an environmental nonprofit organization, submitted a Freedom of Information Act to require the report and was released publicly last week.

The report examines greenhouse gas data for 1990-2023 and finds that while the U.S. is progressing to reduce its most effective greenhouse gas emissions, it is not developing fast enough to achieve certain climate goals, and environmental groups are concerned that new policies adopted by the Trump administration may make carbon pollution worse in the future.

CBS News contacted EPA to comment that it did not publish data.

"U.S. greenhouse gas inventory is one of the most detailed and transparent stocks in the world," David Lyons, a senior methane scientist at EDF, told CBS News. "This is a scientific document that can help society inform society."

According to EDF's analysis of current climate and air quality standards, if the policy remains, the United States will avoid 2.8 billion tons of additional climate pollution by 2055. Analysis found that this is equivalent to driving more than 250 million cars away for 20 years. But, thanks to Lee Zeldin, an administrator of the Trump administration and EPA Promise to retreat Dozens of policies that will increase emissions, claiming that environmental protection is too expensive for many businesses.

How much greenhouse gas pollution has the United States reduced?

In 2024, the United States released an updated target that reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% from 2005 levels in 2035. But based on 2025 stocks, the United States seems to be far from that target. Congress said in 2015 that one of the U.S. goals is to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels in 2025 below 2005 levels.

The report found that total greenhouse gas emissions fell by about 17% in 2023 since 2005. Historically, emissions in the U.S. have been reduced by only about 5% since 1990 and by about 2% since 2022.

Although the U.S. still has a decade to meet the minimum target of 61% reduction, the current 17% reduction suggests a lot of changes, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

“We must further accelerate these reductions to meet our science-based climate commitments,” Peter Zalzal, vice president of clean air strategy at EDF, told CBS News. “Replace coal with natural gas and renewable energy, with a substantial drop in emissions over time.”

The most greenhouse gases produced in the United States?

The report says that most of carbon dioxide emissions in 2023 account for nearly 80%. This is consistent with data dating back to 1990. The United States does not set personal reduction targets for each gas.

Amplify carbon dioxide, about 93% of all carbon dioxide emissions come from burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas. The rest comes from sources such as iron, steel, cement and petrochemical production. The more fossil fuels can be used, the faster it will reduce carbon pollution.

Which industry produces the most greenhouse gases?

The report said the transport department is responsible for burning fossil fuels with the highest carbon dioxide emissions, generating 39%, and the power sector is second with a price of 31%.

Zalzal said that with transportation and electricity, he was concerned that the Trump administration’s policy of detrimental to electric vehicles and prioritizing fossil fuels over renewable energy will eliminate U.S. progress in reducing emissions in both areas.

Although transport is the highest department for launch in 2023, this is not always the case. In 1990 and 2005, the power sector emitted the most greenhouse gases, accounting for about one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions. By 2023, electricity emissions have dropped to a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Since 1990, greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector have dropped by nearly 23% due to a large share of renewable energy.

How does the United States generate electricity?

The United States needs electricity, and over the years, the country's energy generation has begun to shift to integrate more clean resources with traditional fossil fuels.

In the 1990s, more than half of the electricity generated from coal. But by 2023, coal has dropped to 17%, and natural gas has jumped to 42%. Meanwhile, wind and solar energy generate 14% of electricity in 2023. In 1990, wind and solar energy accounted for only 0.1% of all power generation.

“We have seen efforts to try to undermine the important investments the country has made in accelerating clean energy,” Zarzar said. “Abolishing them will drive us in the wrong direction.”