US | President Biden’s climate goals: states with the greatest challenges

President Biden has set a target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions in the US by 50-52 percent below 2005 levels, by 2030. For some states that looks likely to be very difficult. Our forecasts for US states are instead based on largely ‘business as usual’ assumptions.

What you will learn:

• Differences between states in the scale of CO2 emissions can mostly be explained by variations in industrial structures. But a few states have particularly high levels because they have large power-generation sectors that are reliant on fossil fuels.
• Coal-fired power plants are the most polluting of all energy production facilities, and some of the most carbon intensive states generate much of their electricity from coal power. 
• Some of the more carbon intensive states have already made significant reductions on 2005 levels of carbon emissions, but others have much further to go.