Can US meet its climate goals? New study says ‘Yes’

[applegrove]

Can US meet its climate goals? New study says ‘Yes’

By David J. Unger, Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy/2015/0527/Can-US-meet-its-climate-goals-New-study-says-Yes

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Without relying on nonexistent technologies or new federal laws, the US could meet or even exceed its climate targets at little or no cost to the economy, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based climate research organization. The US has already taken significant steps toward meeting its goals, according to WRI, but policymakers will have to push the ball further if they want to meet its pledge to reduce its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

The assessment comes at a critical juncture in global climate policy. In less than six months, negotiators from across the planet will meet in Paris for what is widely seen as a last chance to foster meaningful, collective action to curb the worst effects of climate change. As the world’s largest economy, the US is expected by many across the globe to take a leadership role in those talks. It’s a role that the Obama administration has actively embraced.

“[C]onfronting climate change is now a key pillar of American global leadership,” President Obama told graduating Coast Guard cadets in a commencement speech last week. “When I meet with leaders around the world, it’s often at the top of our agenda -- a core element of our diplomacy.”

US energy-related emissions actually fell by about 8 percent between 2005 and 2012, largely due to improvements in vehicle and appliance efficiency and a transition from carbon-heavy coal to cleaner-burning natural gas in the utility sector. But they ticked back up by 2.5 percent in 2013, according to the US Energy Information Administration, and the power sector’s emissions are expected to rise through 2040 under current policies.



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[quadrature]

1. the middle class is always the enemy...why is that? ...nt

[hedda_foil]

2. Huh??????