What Journalists Should Know About U.S. Progress on its Climate Goals

The United States has to an extent followed through with its promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is still falling incredibly short of what this country needs to stay below the 1.5-C threshold before it is too late. 

The speed at which the U.S. is cutting emissions is faster than ever before, but ultimately it is not nearly fast enough to hit the goal under the Paris Climate Accord of cutting pollution in half by 2030. Despite the U.S. government’s pledge that it would cut 50% to 52% of pollution by the end of the decade, an annual report by Rhodium Group projects that at this current rate, greenhouse gas emissions will only be reduced by 38% to 56% below 2005 levels by 2035.

What Successful Changes Has the U.S. Made So Far?

The Biden Administration has put in place a number of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, hoping these changes might even end up saving people money on their energy bills.

Notably, the administration has tackled super pollutants, namely methane. Methane is emitted in smaller quantities than carbon dioxide, but it traps much more heat, so taking super pollutants head on is a crucial component of any comprehensive climate strategy. President Joe Biden was one of the leaders that launched the Global Methane Pledge at the 2021 UN Climate Summit and 155 countries have signed onto it, committing to cut their total methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030.

The administration is also requiring all new passenger vehicles sold after 2035 to produce zero emissions. In 2021, Biden established a target for 50% of new passenger vehicles sold to be zero-emission by 2030. He also signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to acquire only zero-emission light-duty vehicles by 2027. The EPA issued a final rule in 2021 to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. Stronger standards were proposed for model year 2027 and beyond as well. Electric vehicles are paramount to reducing admissions and the administration is ensuring EVs get a major boost in tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act. Improvements have already been seen in the EV market, with more than 1.4 million of them being sold in the U.S. in 2023 which is more than a 50% increase over total EV sales in 2022.

Where the U.S. is Falling Short

The IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide important investments in climate-smart infrastructure and incentives for large-scale climate solutions. They are landmark climate policies, but if the country will achieve its emissions reduction target, enforceable mechanisms are required, such as carbon emissions fees. Implementing a carbon fee would be one of the most effective measures to put the U.S. on track to meet their emissions goals. The country still lacks majority support from Congress for carbon pricing, where a fee is applied wherever fossil fuels enter the economy. Without this support, the country cannot truly make progress towards tackling climate change at the necessary speed.

The IRA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide important investments in climate-smart infrastructure and incentives for large-scale climate solutions. They are landmark climate policies, but if the country will achieve its emissions reduction target, enforceable mechanisms are required, such as carbon emissions fees. Implementing a carbon fee would be one of the most effective measures to put the U.S. on track to meet their emissions goals. The country still lacks majority support from Congress for carbon pricing, where a fee is applied wherever fossil fuels enter the economy. Without this support, the country cannot truly make progress towards tackling climate change at the necessary speed.

Journalists should stay informed about the various other policies that have been in the works. Some have made significant progress, others have made some progress, and some are still completely off track. It is useful to know the necessary measures that need to be taken by the country to follow through with the pledges of each respective policy, comparing it to what those policies would look like if there were to be a change in the White House. Journalists can spread this awareness to readers, informing them of all they need to know to hold the country accountable for considering promises the government has made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.