17 July 2018: The America’s Pledge initiative has published a report outlining a roadmap for bottom-up action by businesses, cities and states in sectors where collaborative strategies can significantly reduce US carbon emissions, in the absence of federal government policy.

The report titled, ‘America’s Low-carbon Future: A “Bottom-up” Opportunity Agenda for Climate Action in the United States,’ identifies ten high-impact opportunities to help deliver America’s Pledge under the Paris Agreement on climate change: 1) doubling down on renewable energy; 2) accelerating the retirement of coal power; 3) retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency; 4) electrifying building energy use; 5) accelerating electric vehicle adoption; 6) phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); 7) preventing methane leaks at the wellhead; 8) reducing methane leaks in cities; 9) reducing land sector carbon emissions and increasing terrestrial sequestration at the regional level; and 10) establishing and expanding state and regional carbon markets.

America’s Pledge was established in response to President Trump’s announced intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Bottom-up climate progress has taken the US almost half way to its commitments under the Paris Agreement, which calls for reducing emissions by at least 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. For example, a US$25 million solar project in Albuquerque, New Mexico, aims to increase the city’s renewable consumption to 25% by September 2018, while new legislation in New Jersey requires utilities to procure 50% clean energy by 2030. In addition, two coal-fired power plants are slated for closure.

The Opportunity Agenda comes in advance of a more comprehensive analysis to be released at the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS), which will convene from 12-14 September 2018 in San Francisco, US. The report will build on the Opportunity Agenda and detail: existing commitments and their impact; a roadmap of opportunities for governors, mayors and CEOs to lead climate action while advancing the interests of their residents, customers and shareholders; projected US emissions trajectories through 2025 and 2030 resulting from existing real economy commitments, potential incremental emission reductions and eventual renewed federal engagement; and leadership case studies on how some of America’s most innovative states, cities and companies are delivering on their commitments and providing an example for others.

America’s Pledge, co-chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Governor Jerry Brown, was established in response to President Trump’s announced intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. The initiative commits to quantifying and reporting on how the actions of US cities, states and businesses can compensate for inaction by the federal government through high-impact policies and action in key sectors. [Publication: America’s Low-carbon Future: A “Bottom-up” Opportunity Agenda for Climate Action in the United States] [GCAS Press Release]