Emissions increased for decades — until COVID-19

• Commercial aircraft emissions decreased 32% from 2019 to 2020. However, improvements in aircraft and engine technologies meant some aircraft emissions were declining even before the pandemic.

• Passenger cars and light-duty trucks drove 47.5% more miles in 2019 than 1990. Americans drove more due to population and economic growth, urban sprawl, and periods of low gas prices.
   
• From 1990 to 2019, US energy-related carbon emissions increased 2.1%, then fell 11% in 2020.

See additional data, including how different vehicles contribute to emissions, right here.

Learn even more with this interactive chart. Track your state’s top emission causes, break down emissions per person and compare emissions by geographic region with decades of metrics from the Environmental Protection Agency.


Which country receives the most US military aid? 

• Foreign aid was 1%, or $51.1 billion, of the 2020 federal budget. Twenty-three percent of that was military assistance.
   
• The United States spent $287.6 billion (adjusted for inflation) on military aid between September 11, 2001 and fiscal year 2020. Afghanistan received a third of that total, getting the most military aid annually between 2008 and 2019. Israel became the top recipient in 2020.
   
• Ukraine has received $1.7 billion in US military aid since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. The US committed $3.7 billion after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

• The nation had 3.9 million nurses last year. The number of nurses grew by 13.6% from 2012 to 2021, faster than the 8.1% workforce increase overall during that time.
   
• Registered nurses are the largest category of nurses. There are approximately 3 million registered nurses employed in the US, 57% of whom work in hospitals.
   
• About 87% of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists are women. So are more than 90% of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses. Compare that to the overall workforce, where 47% of workers are women.