24 September 2018
America’s Pledge Report: Non-state Actors Bring the US “Within Striking Distance” of Paris Agreement Goal
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The report provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the ways in which US states, cities and businesses are embracing new economic opportunities and technologies to implement climate targets and reduce emissions.

It finds that current commitments and market forces will cut economy-wide emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2025, roughly two-thirds of the way to the US commitment under the Paris Agreement.

Since the US announced its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, over 3,000 non-state actors have pledged their support for the Agreement and to continue climate action.

12 September 2018: Cities, states and businesses can bring the US “within striking distance” of its 2025 emission reduction target under the Paris Agreement on climate change in the absence of federal leadership, according to a report of the America’s Pledge initiative, launched by California Governor Jerry Brown and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action, Michael Bloomberg, during the Global Climate Action Summit (GCAS).

The GCAS convened from 12-14 September 2018 in San Francisco, US.

The report titled, ‘Fulfilling America’s Pledge: How States, Cities and Businesses are Leading the United States to a Low-Carbon Future,’ provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the ways in which US states, cities and businesses are embracing new economic opportunities and technologies to implement climate targets and reduce emissions. It finds that current commitments and market forces will cut economy-wide emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2025, roughly two-thirds of the way to the US commitment under the Paris Agreement. The report shows that the US is almost halfway to its Paris Agreement goal of reducing emissions by 26-28% by 2025 compared to 2005 levels, and outlines steps that cities, states and businesses can take to achieve this goal, including accelerating bottom-up climate collaboration and broadening the coalition of non-state actors.

The US is almost halfway to its Paris Agreement goal of reducing emissions by 26-28% by 2025.

The report analyzes ten high-impact climate action strategies across most major economic sectors and all greenhouse gases (GHGs), namely: doubling down on renewable energy targets; accelerating the retirement of coal power; encouraging residential and commercial building efficiency retrofits; electrifying building energy use; accelerating electric vehicle adoption; phasing down “super-polluting” hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs); halting methane leaks at the wellhead; reducing methane leaks in cities; developing regional strategies for carbon sequestration on natural and working lands; and forming state coalitions for carbon pricing. The report concludes that the ten strategies, if implemented over the next three years, could further reduce emissions to 21% below 2005 levels by 2025, and if more cities, states and business leaders increase their ambition by 2020, emissions could fall by 24% in 2025. The study also identifies the most plausible pathways for accelerated implementation of climate commitments by cities, states and businesses without federal support.

The report’s findings include: implementing zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) mandates would lead to four million new ZEVs on the road by 2025; state and city commitments to sustainable transportation networks could cut annual vehicle miles traveled by 36 billion miles; state, city and business initiatives could cut HFC emissions by 6% from 2015 levels by 2025; and policies and corporate actions to address methane leaks from oil and gas operations could cut national emissions by 17% by 2025 relative to 2005 levels.

Since the US announced its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, over 3,000 non-state actors have pledged their support for the Agreement and to continue climate action, according to the report. Specific achievements include: in 2017, US energy-related CO2 emissions fell to their lowest levels in 25 years; since 1 June 2017, the US has added enough renewable energy to power more than three million homes for a year; and states accounting for 35% of the US economy are expected to put a price on carbon by the end of 2018.

Bloomberg and Governor Brown launched the America’s Pledge initiative in response to President Trump’s announcement of the US’s intent to leave the Paris Agreement. The initiative aggregates and quantifies actions of US states, cities, businesses and other sub-national actors to reduce emissions. [Publication: Fulfilling America’s Pledge: How States, Cities and Businesses are Leading the United States to a Low-Carbon Future] [Executive Summary] [GCAS Press Release] [America’s Pledge Website]


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