United States: The goal was set by President Joe Biden’s administration under the Paris climate agreement, with a new target of emissions reduction of between 61-66% of greenhouse gases below the level of 2005 by 2035 Officials said even states could achieve this even if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with his planned to reverse federal policies, as reported by Reuters.
Inflation Reduction Act and State Initiatives Drive Decarbonization
The recently introduced “nationally determined contribution” speaks to further effects of the Inflation Reduction Act and the infrastructure bill in the process of decarbonizing the U.S. economy and employing policies on climate change initiated by individual states, officials stated.
“Our investments under this administration are durable and will continue to pay dividends for our economy and climate for years to come, allowing us to set an ambitious and achievable 2035 target,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to Biden for international climate policy.
Concerns Over Potential Policy Reversals
“We’re confident in America’s ability to rally around this new climate goal,” he said, adding that while Trump “may put climate action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States.”
The guidelines say that under the Paris agreement, nations have to submit new and stronger national climate action plans to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change before a deadline in February next year. The NDCs need to be in harmony with the target in terms of avoiding a rise in the global average temp to 1.5 Degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit).
The Trump team did not reply to an emailed request for comment, but the president-elect has previously stated that he could pull the United States out of the Paris accord another time.
Trump’s transition team suggests dramatic changes to end support for electric cars and charging stations and taxes on all battery materials worldwide, Reuters documented this week. During his campaign, Trump promised to continually ramp up fossil fuel production on behalf of America rather than renewable energy.
States Commit to Upholding Paris Accord
New York and California, along with 23 other U.S. states and territories that committed to upholding the Paris Accord and its tenets, set a complementary goal on Thursday to collectively meet the range of 61% – 66%.
A study by the Rhodium group revealed that the US is still off the pace in the emission objectives it set for 2030, targeting to reduce emissions by 50%-52%. The EU, South Korea, South Africa, and even the UK have also failed in this regard, as reported by Reuters.
Looking Ahead
A research group called Energy Innovation also suggested that under existing policies, the U.S. could reduce emissions by 46% by 2035.
As of now, only the UAE and Brazil have submitted new targets before the February deadline for the NDCs.