Pressure Grows For Meaningful US Emission Cuts
By Paul Homewood
h/t Robin Guenier
As Joe Biden rejoins Paris, the pressure grows for meaningful US cuts:
Thirty days after Joe Biden entered the White House, the US is officially back in the Paris Agreement.
On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order notifying the UN that the US was rejoining the Paris Agreement. Now that order has taken effect, the US is expected to submit a new national contribution to the agreement, setting out an emissions target for 2030.
“It’s good to have the US back in the Paris Agreement, but sadly we have no time to celebrate. The climate crisis is deepening and this is the year we need all major polluters to step up and deliver stronger plans to deliver a safe, clean and prosperous future for everyone,” said Laurence Tubiana, head of the European Climate Foundation.
“The US needs to come to Cop26 [climate talks] with a strong commitment: the urgency of the crisis is clear, and this means a new US target of at least 50% GHG cuts on 2005 levels by 2030, ideally more,” Tubiana said.
A series of net zero pledges and upgraded 2030 emissions targets from major polluters – including China, Japan and the EU – last year has put pressure on the US to catch up.
The US is expected to announce its updated 2030 target ahead of a major economies climate summit which Biden will host on Earth Day, 22 April.
Climate Action Tracker previously told Climate Home that the US should reduce its emissions by at least 52% by 2030 through domestic action. Under Obama, the US committed to reducing emissions by 26-28% by 2025, compared to 2005 levels – a target which it is not on track to meet.
Tim Gore, head of the climate programme at The Institute for European Environmental Policy, said that the average US citizen has a carbon footprint ten times higher than the global emissions per capita needed to limit global warming to 1.5C. A 50% reduction by 2030 would not bring US per capita emissions down to EU levels today, he said.
195 climate groups signed a petition this week calling on Biden to ensure that the US contributes its “fair share” to limiting global warming to 1.5C, the toughest target in the Paris Agreement.
US Climate Action Network is calling on the US to reduce its emissions by 195% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. At least 70% should be delivered domestically and the rest by helping developing countries to cut carbon faster, the campaign network said.
“Rejoining the Paris Agreement is the right move for the United States, but it’s just the easy first step. President Biden must follow through on his commitment to do more by centering environmental justice in his approach to the climate crisis globally,” said Karen Orenstein, climate and energy director at climate group Friends of the Earth.
“This includes the United States doing its fair share to keep global temperature rise to 1.5C and providing climate finance for developing countries in line with science, equity, and justice,” said Orenstein.
It is not widely understood how little Obama actually committed to in Paris, with a 26-28% cut from 2005 emissions by 2025. This compares to the UK’s pledge to cut by 49% from 2005 to 2030. The comparison with 1990 levels is even more stark – UK’s 55% compares to the US 14% – as US emissions rose sharply between 1990 and 2005, while in the UK they dropped:
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/usa/pledges-and-targets/
Currently the US has only managed a cut of 10% from 2005 levels.
I suspect Biden will not take kindly to the sort of pressure from Tubiana, for instance, who demands cuts of 55% from 2005 by 2030.
Far from “healing the planet”, Obama barely cut emissions at all in his reign, and they have remained flat since:
https://climateactiontracker.org/countries/usa/
So to get to that 55%, the US would need to cut would require a cut of 44% in emissions from 2018 levels. Even the wildest fantasies of AOC and Bernie could not find a way to do that.
Meanwhile, the looby loos think that Biden should cut by 85%:
Texans might not think that such a good idea!
And while all of this is going on, China’s carry on remorselessly rising, and are now more than double the US.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Now after the stolen US election, the fake climate crisis madness comes to power. Insane madness is now taking over many policies, including trying to reach the impossible “net zero” which will be nothing short of an economic disaster. Add to that millions of new unvetted illegal immigrants and massive deficit spending to make matters even worse. Venezuela appears to be the new model of the US Democrats.
Ah, it’s all going to plan – Chinese-wise. Their plan to colonise the West (including Asia, Africa and Australia – the triple A for them) is well advanced. So many politicians in the US government (and the UK, as it happens) are, IMHO, dependent on their links to China for their wealth and future.
I’m just enjoying the fantasy of 200 years hence when a new Chinese woke class will call for the tearing down of statues of Mao on the basis that China was an evil colonialist oppressor. 🙂
Harry, I hate to say so, but I think you’re exactly correct. The Chinese will be laughing their way to world domination. China and it’s ally Iran love the new US Biden administration.
Ah the old stolen electron trope. No proof though?
“Ah the old stolen electron trope” Is that an attempt at “iony” are you holding some super position.on the subject?
Dan, what do you mean, no proof? There’s plenty of that just no means of getting it before a judge who will try the case. I can’t think of any of the very many cases that were actually dismissed for content – or lack thereof: they were dismissed in most cases for ‘standing’: ie:, afaik, being presented in the wrong judiciary. Remember, most of the actions were brought at speed because there was an effective time-limit to action. Now that has been lost there is time to prepare a better case and hope that some candidates can be picked off one at a time.
In the same way that stats can show that CC is bogus so the stats for Biden’s win show that he could not have amassed the votes claimed for him.
Dan, “stolen election trope” no proof? There’s no proof it wasn’t stolen either. The local officials in all critical cities refused to allow proper auditing of ballots and equipment. No transparency at all. What were they hiding? Why is the US Capitol surrounded by barbed wire fence and National Guard troops? These are among the many strong indications that massive election fraud occurred that was especially targeted at the crucial states. Even Biden slipped up and admitted: “We have put together, I think, the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics.” Unfortunately, so far they have succeeded in covering it up, using stonewalling and intimidation.
If the coverup is not called prosecuted and the election system is not repaired to minimize fraud, it will only get worse and there will no longer be truly free and fair elections in the USA. Instead the elections will be like the “free and fair” elections in places like Venezuela and North Korea. The Democrats are rapidly pushing the USA down the Venezuela path to disaster.
Emission CUTS cannot lower the global temperature because they do not lower the CO2 that has already been added and which will continue to be added if zero emissions is the goal. NET-zero means taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and at the source. Negative emissions. None of that is possible in the billions of tons required. When will these politicians and the greens understand that?
Are you going to be the one to tell China? I’ll wait.
American emissions bad, Chinese emissions good.
Damn clever stuff this CO2!
Meaningful US Emission Cuts
If they refer to carbon dioxide, read *meaningless*.
Paul OT but have you received a reply to your second complaint.
Not yet, only a confirmation
Second complaints usually take some weeks, as they take them seriously
Despite the ‘climate emergency’ and with the end of the world as we know it apparently imminent, I note that Tubiana doesn’t appear to be calling for the Chinese, the planet’s biggest polluters, to cut their emissions by 50% by 2030. As a former member of the Revolutionary Communist League, I’m sure she’s delighted that her fellow travellers in Beijing have their Manchurian candidate firmly ensconced in the White House to press the American self destruct button on their behalf.
“The US needs to come to Cop26 [climate talks] with a strong commitment.”
Of course it will be a fully voluntary STRONG commitment.
And the tens of thousands of delegates in Glasgow risk contracting and passing on Covid infections before the vaccines become fully enough effective to suppress the diseases, plural because of viral mutations.
Accordingly, the safest policy would be to cancel the whole caboodle.
There is no chance this talking shop would increase climate safety but every chance of its causing a public health disaster.
It will have to be the world’s biggest bubble.
Isn’t Glasgow in Scotland where the SNP will want all the delegates to go into compulsory 10 quarantine at their own expense? Or doesn’t that apply to climate zealots.
Since nothing reasonable is to be expected from either the SNP or from climate zealots the COP26 caboodle will most likely go ahead as planned.
I would bet more than a Bawbee on that.
Funny how Donald was required to give notice of a year to leave the Paris agreement and yet Dementia Joe has got the US back in within a few weeks.
facilis descensus Averno
“….the US is expected to submit a new national contribution to the agreement, setting out an emissions target for 2030.”
Last year the global emissions were about 40 BILLION tons of CO2. Joe Biden must be completely unaware of what the current world-wide industrial capture and storage is…Only 40 MILLION tons a year. Ask John Kerry or AOC what part of those 40 million tons will be the US national contribution in the next nine years. The climate won’t even notice it but the economy will?
And I thught most of that CO2 ‘captured’ went for secondary oil recovery.
Pressure from whom? Foreigners? F ’em.
Pressure from Al’s younger brother Tim Gore smacks of European envy when he frames it thus. Tthere are obvious reasons to do with culture, cost and historical timing that explain the higher energy use per capita. Obviously the US is using more than it’s fair share of finite natural resources. Makes me quite ill thinking of the blood and treasure the US has wasted on securing and supporting our European cousins and this is the kind of thanks… it’s bad enough that we’ve got Biden trying as hard as young Tim to destroy the US economy and presumably, hopefully losing a few hundred thousand or so a year. Yanks don’t even count as collateral damage, they are barely human, who cares whether it’s 4 , 6 or 8 million that end up on the wrong side of this.
Signed,
Not impressed in Houston
Hey please just remember here in the UK we voted to get away from these nut jobs – we feel the same as you do.
Happy to be on your side in England
Once again the NDCs will be nothing but talk, posturing, and virtue signaling. Only the UK will come close due to its’ masochistic tendencies. China will probably again offer up some promises that will be meaningless unless the ROW finally calls them out. Then it will be all bluff and posture. Man will go on increasing CO2 output and it will continue to rise in the atmosphere until nature takes over and reverses it, again. Then the Marxists will find a new boogeyman to threaten the world with. You have to admit it took a lot of planning, media ownership, placing people in the right places, and balls to put together the AGW scam and they won’t quit easily.
Not to mention that a $1.5-2 trillion ‘industry’ has grown up around the scam meaning that some people have a lot to lose. You can’t help but wonder what could have been achieved that benefits mankind with this money.
Yes, Gerry, it’s not so much the ‘belt-and-road’ strategy now, but the ‘belt-and-braces’ ploy now. The CCP have had a long, long gestation period for this plan and they have suckered in their Manchurian candidates in the West to build the way ahead for them. They have made many westerners incredibly wealthy and these people don’t want to give that up no matter what the morality of their situation. Thing is, would we rather have expensive energy being forced on us (when it works) or do without Facebook and Twitter? It’s a moral maze…./s
The so-called ‘pressure groups’ are only ‘fronts,’ turned on and off according to the plan.
The real problem is the brainwashed, so-called intelligentsia.
The hand full of Global Marxists are the only ones pushing the global warming BS! Their media magnify their numbers greatly. They stole the election now they intend to destroy America! We have quit buying anything,cut back on food and heat to pay off debt..because Prices will multiply as the did in 2009. Already fuel is approaching a dollar per gallon more since January! Doctors, medications and enough food to survive is all there will be by the end of the Biden reign of terror!
OT.
Paul have you seen these charts
http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/icethickness/thk.uk.php
and
http://ocean.dmi.dk/arctic/icecover.uk.php
I’ve emailed the DMI (using goolgle translate) to ask if there’s a problem.
I did wonder if I should send the link to Harrabin
DMI say, today, that there has been a problem with receiving data at the ground station. This might or might not be due to failure of the satellites.
If you search for ‘Finnish Cryosphere Snow’ you will discover some other continuous trackers. The Japanese estimates for both the Arctic and Antarctic SEEM still to be OK.