White House to Pledge Cutting Global Warming Emissions in Half


Ari Natter and Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Bloomberg News


Pollution rises from the Big River Electric D.B. Wilson Station power plant in Centertown, Kentucky. Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg , Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- The White House plans to pledge this week a target of reducing U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases by at least half by the end of the decade as it holds a summit on climate change with world leaders, according to two people familiar with the president’s plans.

The goal, which would represent a near doubling of a climate target set by the Obama administration in 2015, was described by people who had been briefed by administration officials who asked not to be identified discussing private matters.

The U.S. target was characterized to the people as halving U.S. emissions from 2005 levels, rather than a specific 50% reduction. One of the people said the administration was seeking to avoid laying down a numeric target, the people said.

The U.S. may also commit to working to achieve even deeper cuts, one of the people said. That mirrors an approach the Obama administration took in 2015, when it laid out a 26%-28% cut by 2025, but said it would work to achieve the higher, 28% reduction.

The White House declined to comment.

Cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half would require broad action to clamp down on planet-warming pollution from power plants, automobiles, oil wells and agriculture.

The Biden administration is convening the leaders of up to 40 nations in a summit Thursday and Friday designed to raise global ambition in the fight against climate change. A major target is keeping average global temperature from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).

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