Background Information

GHGs are gasses which form Earth’s atmosphere. They include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), among others. GHGs keep the Earth warm by taking in heat and keeping it from exiting into space. When concentrations of GHGs in the atmosphere are too high, too much heat can be trapped, which has been linked to hotter temperatures, more severe storms, increased drought, rising sea levels, species loss, changes to agriculture, forced displacement, and poverty. As a result, regulating GHGs is a key component of climate change policies. 

Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2020, EPA

GHGs can be emitted by different activities including naturally through plant respiration and decomposition of organic matter, as well as through human activities. Transportation emits GHGs through burning fossil fuels for cars, ships, trains, and planes, and about 60% of electricity in the U.S. as of 2020, comes from burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Industries also contribute to GHG emissions by burning fossil fuels for energy and from chemical reactions producing raw materials. Commercial and residential emissions of GHGs come from businesses and homes burning fossil fuels for heat, handling waste, and using products and electricity that emit GHGs during production. Lastly, agriculture emits GHGs from livestock, soils, and farm equipment. 

The United States and GHG Emissions

In 2016, the Obama administration joined the Paris Agreement, an international treaty adopted to phase out fossil fuels and transition the global economy to clean energy. According to the United Nations, “the goal is to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.” A poll conducted by Pew Research Center determined that  48% of U.S. adults at the time believed the Earth was warming mostly from human activities. The Obama administration made it the U.S. goal to decrease GHG emissions by 26-28% by 2025.

U.S. Emissions Under 2020 and 2025 Targets, UNFCCC

In 2017, the Trump administration left the Paris Agreement due to concerns over the economic impact. The President cited a 2017 National Economic Research Associates (NERA) report which stated attaining the Paris Agreement’s goals would lead to 2.7 million job losses by 2025. 

In 2019, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Edward Markey reignited American interest in climate change with the introduction of the Green New Deal resolution in the House and Senate. The Select Committee on Climate Crisis was formed in the House, and the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus was formed in the Senate.

The Biden Administration reentered the Paris Agreement in 2021. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 75% of U.S. adults are in support of U.S. participation in international climate change efforts. The Biden administration also established a new set of GHG emission targets. The new targets are:

1. Reducing U.S. GHG emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030
2. Reaching 100% carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035
3. Achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050
4. Delivering 40% of the benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities

These new targets aim to more drastically decrease U.S. emissions than previous administrations by focusing on using more electric vehicles, negating GHG emissions from human activity, and assisting Americans most affected by climate change. 

Additionally, the Biden administration formed the National Climate Task Force in order to tackle climate change, create union jobs, and focus on environmental justice. In late April of 2022, the National Climate Task Force hosted a climate summit to revisit carbon emissions targets which led the US government to revise and strengthen the current climate agenda.

Supporters of Regulating GHG Emissions

Many support the new targets because they believe the targets will lead to bold action, which will better ensure clean air and water, introduction of greener technologies, and health in American communities. 

Others support the new targets because they think it is the U.S.’s responsibility to enact strong GHG targets as one of the highest per capita CO₂ emitters and the second highest total CO₂ emitting country, surpassed only by China. Supporters of the new target believe it is the responsibility of the U.S. to pave the way in GHG reduction, and that these goals could ultimately influence other countries to do the same. Additionally, supporters think this would allow the U.S. to match the ambitious goals of countries within the EU that are more aggressive than the 50% target set by Biden.

Annual CO2 Emissions Comparing the World, China, and the United States, Our World in Data

Some support the targets because they believe it will fuel the economy and prioritize workers by creating middle class union jobs laying transmission lines for a clean grid, capping leaking mines, and building electric vehicles and the infrastructure to support them. They also contend that the new jobs could be filled by people moving from the coal industry into these greener industries. 

Opponents to Stronger Regulations of GHG Emissions

Some opponents believe the transition from industries, such as coal, to greener energy production will not increase jobs. Instead, they are concerned that workers in high pollution and nonrenewable industries will lose their jobs as those industries are phased out. While some argue that these workers can shift to clean energy sector jobs, others feel the people who are expected to switch industries do not have transferable skills.

Others caution against what they view as a rapid change to the economy when the effects of climate change are still up for debate. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report laid out a series of potential outcomes, with the most extreme options being the least likely to occur. They assert that scientific understanding of climate change is still growing and improving, so the results of the models used to predict the effects of climate change should not be relied on immediately because the technology is still being perfected. 

Others believe these targets still are not enough. They believe the global average temperature will still exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal articulated in the Paris Agreement. A 2021 peer reviewed article published in Nature Climate Change states that the best estimates of global average temperature increase under the new regulations are 2-2.4 degrees Celsius by 2100, possibly still within the maximum increase of 2 degrees Celsius outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Other bills are being enacted and passed which may impact U.S. GHG emissions. These include the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal and the Build Back Better Act, which both have provisions regarding GHGs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal has been enacted and notices of funding opportunities, requests for information, and funding applications are beginning to open up. The Build Back Better Act is waiting to be passed through the Senate but there are conversations about a bipartisan reconciliation agreement. Additionally, the recent Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, which limits the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate carbon emissions. This decision and its impacts will be important to follow as government agencies’ and branches’ roles in regulating GHG emissions are redefined.