Where America’s CO emissions come from – what you need to know, in charts

Vehicles, energy production and industry are the largest emissions sources in the U.S. David McNew/Getty Images

Earth’s atmosphere contains carbon dioxide, which is good for life on Earth – in moderation. Plants use CO₂ as the source of the carbon they build into leaves and wood via photosynthesis. In combination with water vapor, CO₂ insulates the Earth, keeping it from turning into a frozen world. Life as we know it on Earth would not exist without CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Since the industrial revolution began, however, humans have been adding more and more carbon dioxide to the Earth’s atmosphere, and it has become a problem.