WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States pledged Tuesday to
cut its greenhouse gas emissions up to 28 percent as part of
a global treaty aimed at preventing the worst effects of
climate change, the White House said.
The Obama administration's contribution to the treaty, which
world leaders expect to finalize in December, codifies a
commitment President Barack Obama first made late last year
in Beijing, when he announced a joint
U.S.-China climate deal that raised global hopes that
developed and developing nations can come together to fight
climate change.
The U.S. proposal has drawn intense interest around the
world. Most nations will miss Tuesday's informal deadline to
convey their contributions to the U.N. - only the EU,
Switzerland and Mexico unveiled their pledges before the
U.S. By announcing its commitment early, the U.S. hopes to
dial up the political pressure on other countries to take
equally ambitious steps to cut emissions.
White House senior adviser Brian Deese said Tuesday that,
along with the U.S. pledge, countries that account for more
than half of total carbon pollution from the energy sector
have submitted or announced what they will do to combat
climate change beginning after 2020.
"That's a big deal, because truly global challenges demand
global solutions," Deese said on the White House blog.
"Climate change is real, it is being driven by human
activity, and it is not a problem any one country can solve
on its own."
In the works for years, the treaty is set to be finalized in
Paris in December. If successful, it will mark the first
time all nations - not just wealthier ones like the U.S. -
will have agreed to do something about climate change.
As part of its proposal, known to climate negotiators as an
Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, the U.S. is
also asserting that its contribution is both ambitious and
fair.
It was unclear what metrics the U.S. would use to back up
that claim. But the proposal is expected to emphasize that
the Obama administration has accelerated the rate of
emissions reductions nearly twofold. Early in his
presidency, Obama committed to
cut U.S. emissions 17 percent by 2020; his subsequent
goal for 2025 pushes it to between 26 percent and 28
percent.
How will the U.S. meet its goal? The Obama administration
has avoided putting hard numbers on the size of emissions
reductions it expects from specific steps it is taking. In
its submission, the EU listed specific economic sectors -
such as transportation, energy and manufacturing - where it
expects major reductions, and named the specific greenhouse
gases it plans to cut.
In contrast, the U.S. is expected to point broadly to the
steps Obama is taking through executive action, such as
pollution limits on power plants, stricter vehicle emissions
limits, and initiatives targeting specific gases like
methane and hydrofluorocarbons.
Many of those steps face major legal challenges and intense
political opposition, raising the risk that they could be
undermined or even discarded once Obama leaves office in
2017.
"Considering that two-thirds of the U.S. federal government
hasn't even signed off on the
Clean Power Plan and 13 states have already pledged to
fight it, our international partners should proceed with
caution before entering into a binding, unattainable deal,"
said
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.
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