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A new report shows Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions rebounded after falling sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Every two years, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Commerce calculate the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other climate-warming gases released by power plants, vehicles, farms and other sources. 

The latest inventory, released Thursday, tallies greenhouse gas emissions released between 2005 and 2022. Overall, Minnesota's emissions dropped 14 percent during that period.

But from the end of 2020 through 2022, they increased more than 6 percent. 

“As we return to the pre-pandemic routines, emissions that dropped steeply in 2020 rebounded, and the trend that we're seeing in Minnesota is reflected across the nation,” said Katrina Kessler, MPCA commissioner.

Kessler noted greenhouse gases from transportation, electricity generation and agriculture remain below 2019 levels. But from some sources, such as heavy-duty vehicles, emissions are higher than before the pandemic.

Transportation remains Minnesota’s biggest source of greenhouse gases, responsible for nearly 30 percent of the state’s emissions. About 70 percent of the total comes from passenger cars and trucks, and the rest from airplanes, trains, boats and off-highway vehicles.

Transportation is followed by agriculture, responsible for about a quarter of greenhouse gases, mainly from livestock, storing manure and applying fertilizer and manure to fields. That number has remained stubbornly flat since the state starting tracking emissions two decades ago. 

Kessler said sustainable agricultural practices have kept emissions from rising faster as Minnesota’s farms produce more. She said state and federal spending to support sustainable farming practices “will pay dividends in the coming years.”

Industry is the fourth biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, with a 23 percent increase since 2005. Those include emissions created by mining, manufacturing and other industries.

For the first time, the report separates agriculture from forestry, which actually absorbs and stores more greenhouse gases than it emits — making it a “carbon sink.” 

The biggest drop in greenhouse gas emissions over the past two decades — roughly 50 percent — has come from the electricity sector, as utilities move away from coal-burning power plants to renewable energy, such as solar and wind.

“Coal continues to be the largest source of emissions in this sector, but we've had policy measures over the last few years that have led to significant reductions,” said Grace Arnold, state commerce commissioner. All of the state’s coal plants will be retired by 2035.

Still, it’s not clear whether the state is on track to meet its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2025, or reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

Speaking on MPR News, Arnold said the state has made a lot of investments in climate solutions in the last couple of years, “and those don’t show up in this report.”

“So that’s everything from EV charging networks to funding for farmers to help put climate-smart practices into their land and lot of clean energy investment,” she said. “So you don’t see that here. And I think as we get to our next cycle, we’ll be able to see the impacts of those investments.”

Kessler said state officials are hopeful climate laws the Legislature passed in 2023 will reduce emissions further. Those include a requirement utilities provide carbon-free electricity by 2040.

The state also has received an influx of federal funds for climate initiatives, although the future of those programs is uncertain under the Trump administration.

Kessler noted that last year was the second-wettest spring on record, with devastating floods that caused millions of dollars in property damage. And last winter was the warmest on record, with a shorter ice season and lack of snow that hurt many businesses, she said.

“The reality of climate change has never felt closer to those of us in Minnesota,” Kessler said.

Kirsti Marohn

Author

Nina Moini

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Alanna Elder

Transportation remains the state’s largest source of greenhouse gases, contributing nearly 30 percent of emissions. It’s not clear whether Minnesota is on track to meet its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2025, or reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. 

Report: Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions bounced back after pandemic, still below 2019 level

A number of vehicle backed up along the northbound side of the interstate.

Report: Minnesota’s greenhouse gas emissions bounced back after pandemic, still below 2019 level

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