U.S. greenhouse gas emissions climbed sharply in 2025, the largest increase among Group of 20 economies, according to a United Nations report released Oct. 21. The report points to rising electricity demand and federal policies supporting fossil-fuel use as key factors. The annual Emissions Gap Report says global emissions were roughly unchanged from the year before. The United States was the only major economy whose climate pollution increased dramatically, and its per-capita emissions were tied with Russia for the highest among G20 nations. China produces substantially more greenhouse gases overall, but has more than four times the U.S. population. The increase comes as the Trump administration has directed some coal-fired power plants to remain open longer than planned, rolled back vehicle fuel-efficiency standards and ended tax credits for wind and solar projects. Those choices have coincided with higher demand for electricity, including as the country works to meet growing energy needs. Inger Andersen, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme, said countries are contending with energy-security concerns amid disruptions to global oil and gas supplies linked to the wars in Ukraine and Iran. She also noted that some G20 members have continued to reduce emissions, including the European Union, which has invested in efficiency and renewable electricity. The administration has withdrawn the United States from the 2015 Paris climate agreement and is seeking to end U.S. participation in U.N. climate work, arguing that international arrangements impose unfair burdens on Americans. The report includes a U.S. government statement saying the country does not endorse or agree with its analysis and conclusions and did not provide comments. The State Department did not respond to questions, according to the report’s coverage. The report arrives less than a month before global climate talks in Turkey. The Trump administration will not take part. The United Nations says the planet is on course for about 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming this century, while limiting the increase to below 2 degrees Celsius would require global emissions to fall about 25% over the next decade. Current national plans, if carried out, would deliver a reduction of about 15%. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged major emitters to do more, saying, “Every fraction of a degree matters.” The report notes that emissions from burning coal, oil and gas contribute to warming felt worldwide; the World Meteorological Organization says Earth is already about 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer on average than in the mid-19th century.