Published on Friday, November 21, 2025
PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) announces a slight increase in the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2023. Statewide emissions rose to 9.52 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MMTCO2e), a 1.4% uptick compared to 2022. Despite this year-over-year increase, Rhode Island has achieved a 19.5% reduction in emissions since 1990. Continued progress on emissions requires coordination across states, federal agencies, utilities, and private industry.
The results come from DEM’s annual assessment of the state’s GHG emissions, the primary scientific tool used by the EC4 to track progress under the 2021 Act on Climate. The law requires Rhode Island achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and sets interim benchmarks for 2030 and 2040.
Notably, recent federal actions – including HR1 and related regulatory rollbacks that have drastically reduced federal funding for state and local energy programs and altered national clean-energy incentives – may affect the pace at which states can reasonably advance toward their climate goals.
As in past years, transportation (37%), residential buildings (19.6%), and electricity consumption (19.3%) were the state’s largest emission sources. A 5.1% jump in transportation emissions from 2022 levels, reflecting national trends of rising vehicle miles traveled, drove most of the overall increase.
Emissions from electricity-use were unchanged, because the electricity Rhode Island received from ISO New England was more carbon intense than in 2022. Residential building emissions declined 2.4% and commercial building emissions declined 5.3% from 2022 levels. 2023 marks the third consecutive year that residential and commercial building emissions have declined.
“This inventory provides a valuable scientific foundation for understanding where we stand,” said Governor Dan McKee. “As we look at the clean-energy landscape in 2025 and beyond, it’s undeniable that actions taken by the Trump Administration will fundamentally disrupt states’ long-term climate plans. The Trump administration’s rollback of clean-energy initiatives and its cuts to billions of dollars in funding have intentionally undermined the clean-energy future for states across the nation. As federal policies continue to shift, we will keep working with our partners to chart a practical and responsible path forward on reducing emissions.”
“Although the increase in emissions is disappointing, the rise in transportation emissions in 2023 follows national trends,” said DEM Director Terry Gray. “Despite the changing federal landscape – including reductions in federal clean-energy funding and the reversal of certain national clean-car and clean-energy standards – reducing our greenhouse gas emissions continues to be a priority across the EC4 agencies.”
Over the past five years, 2023 emissions decreased 5.4% below 2018 levels. Since 1990, transportation, residential buildings, and electricity consumption fell by 14%, 14.2%, and 30.6%. To meet the Act on Climate’s 2030 target (45% below 1990), Rhode Island must cut another 3.02 MMTCO2e (average of 4.5% per year) over the next seven years.
The inventory primarily uses open-source federal and state government data and follows methodologies recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As the science of tracking emissions evolves, the methodology also improves over time. These methodological changes impacted both 1990 baseline figure and the 2022 emissions total. A detailed summary of the 2023 findings, including data sources is available in the 2023 Rhode Island Greenhouse Gas Inventory summary report at https://dem.ri.gov/ghg-inventory.
For more information on climate science and RI’s climate actions, visit www.climatechange.ri.gov. To learn more about DEM programs and initiatives, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Facebook, Twitter/X (@RhodeIslandDEM), or Instagram (@rhodeisland.dem) for timely updates. Sign up here to receive the latest press releases, news, and events from DEM's Public Affairs Office to your inbox.
Date
