US submits climate pledge

• 9 years ago (2015-04-03)
• Junior Isles

Asia 849 Europe 1061 North America 998

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The United States has submitted its target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The submission, referred to as an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), is a formal statement of the US target, announced in China last year, to reduce our emissions by 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, and to make best efforts to reduce by 28 per cent.

The US target will roughly double the pace of carbon pollution reduction in the nation from 1.2 per cent per year on average during the 2005-2020 period to 2.3-2.8 per cent per year on average between 2020 and 2025.

A statement on the Whitehouse website said: “This ambitious target is grounded in intensive analysis of cost-effective carbon pollution reductions achievable under existing law and will keep the United States on the pathway to achieve deep economy-wide reductions of 80 per cent or more by 2050.”

March 31st was the deadline for developed nations to make pledges – with some, including Canada, failing to submit by the deadline. Wealthier nations were set the earlier deadline for submissions because the UN is determined for the UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP21) in Paris to deliver an international global climate deal, unlike the chaotic meeting in Copenhagen in 2009.

The EU has pledged to reduce emissions 40 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2030 and Norway, Switzerland and Mexico have also sbmitted pledges.

With these actions, countries representing over 50 per cent of global CO2 emissions have either announced or formally reported their targets.

The Whitehouse said that US pledge “shows President Obama is committed to leading on the international stage”.