- In The News
- December 2024
New York Times: Biden, Headed to the Exit, Sets an Aggressive Climate Goal for the U.S.
December 19, 2024
The New York Times reports on the U.S. Climate Alliance’s pledge to work to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 61-66 percent below 2005 levels by 2035.
“President Biden on Thursday announced an aggressive new climate goal for the United States, saying that the country should seek to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 61 percent below 2005 levels by 2035.
The target is not binding and will almost certainly be disregarded by President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has called global warming a ‘scam.’ But Biden administration officials said they hoped it would encourage state and local governments to continue to cut the emissions that are rapidly heating the planet, even if the federal government pulls back.”
…
“On Thursday, a bipartisan coalition of governors from 24 states announced that they would work together to try to meet the new goal. ‘This new collective goal will serve as our North Star,’ Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Environmental groups praised the new U.S. goal, although many had been urging the Biden administration to pledge even deeper cuts in emissions.”
About the Alliance
Launched in 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the U.S. federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent by 2025, 50-52 percent by 2030, and 61-66 percent by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the latest data shows that as of 2023, the Alliance has reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing collective GDP by 34 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal of reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
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