The US has submitted its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to the UNFCCC Secretariat, formalizing its commitment to cut emissions by 26-28% below its 2005 levels by 2025.
The contribution will represent an approximate doubling in the rate of its emissions cuts and is consistent with a straight line emission reduction pathway from 2020 to reductions of 80% or more below 2005 levels by 2050, according to the submission.
31 March 2015: The US has submitted its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) to the UNFCCC Secretariat, formalizing its commitment to cut emissions by 26-28% below its 2005 levels by 2025. The contribution will represent an approximate doubling in the rate of its emissions cuts and is consistent with a straight line emission reduction pathway from 2020 to reductions of 80% or more below 2005 levels by 2050, according to the submission.
The target is economy-wide, accounting for all sectors covered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and for all greenhouse gases (GHGs) recorded in the US’s 2014 inventory (carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3)). The submission indicates the US does not intend to use international market mechanisms to meet its targets.
The INDC details how the US intends to use existing domestic laws and regulations, such as the Clean Air Act, the Energy Independence and Security Act, and the Energy Policy Act, to meet its target. The INDC does not address adaptation.
Announcing the US’s formal submission, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that “Climate change is the defining challenge of our generation, and the United States is committed to playing a leading role in the global effort to address it.” He explained that the submission formalizes the commitment announced by US President Barack Obama in November 2014 as part of a joint US-China climate change announcement.
This pledge translates to an emission reduction of approximately 13.5%-15.9% below 1990 levels by 2025.
All parties to the UNFCCC are expected to submit INDCs in advance of the Paris Climate Change Conference, which will take place in December 2015. Those submitted by 1 October 2015 will be included in a synthesis report on their aggregate effect by 1 November 2015. Parties are anticipated to agree on a global climate change agreement to take effect in 2020 at the Paris Climate Change Conference. [UNFCCC Press Release] [UN Press Release] [US Secretary of State Press Statement] [US’s INDC] [UNFCCC INDC Portal] [IISD RS Story on US-China Climate Change Announcement] [IISD RS Sources]