The US unveils CO₂ emissions cut target by 2050 during the COP22

The White House has released a "mid century strategy for deep decarbonisation" aiming at reducing the CO₂ emissions in the United States by at least 80% by 2050, compared to 2005 levels. This corresponds to the G8's 2009 target to halve global CO₂ emissions by 2050, including reductions of 80% or more for developed countries. The US strategy is also meant to continue the US's existing pledge to reduce emissions by 17% by 2020 and by 26 to 28% by 2025 (commitment under the Paris agreement).



To reach this target, the US would focus on three main actions: transitioning to a low-carbon energy system, by switching to low-carbon energies in the power, transport and industrial sectors; sequestering carbon through forests, soils, and CO₂ removal technologies; and reducing non-CO₂ emissions. Achieving this 2050 goal would reduce the US emissions by 6 GtCO₂eq per year, to less than 2 GtCO₂eq.



However, this policy may be threatened by the election of Donald Trump as the US president, who was elected after having pledged to reverse former policies (such as the Clean Power Plan), to withdraw from the Paris agreement and to expand coal burning.