What to Look for in the New US Climate Plan (INDC)

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines the expected components and critical evaluation criteria for the United States' Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to be submitted to the United Nations in March 2015, ahead of the Paris climate agreement in December 2015.

• The United States is expected to formalize a pledge to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2025, a goal previously announced in a joint statement with China.
• To achieve the 26-28 percent reduction target, the US must double its current rate of emissions reductions through 2020. In the absence of new legislation from Congress, the administration will rely on regulatory tools to target energy efficiency, vehicle emissions, power plants, oil and natural gas production, and hydroflourocarbons.
• The Obama administration is implementing its Climate Action Plan through formal regulatory processes based on existing laws, rather than executive orders, to ensure the initiatives remain durable after the president leaves office.
• For the US INDC to meet transparency standards, such as those in the Lima Call for Climate Action, it should clearly define its base year and emission levels, its use of market mechanisms like offsets, and its accounting for the land use and forestry sector.
• While a 28 percent reduction is a significant commitment through 2025, the US will need to further accelerate decarbonization to help limit global warming to 2 degrees C, utilizing low-carbon approaches that provide economic returns.

APA

World Resources Institute (2015). What to Look for in the New US Climate Plan (INDC). https://www.wri.org/insights/what-look-new-us-climate-plan-indc

Chicago

World Resources Institute. What to Look for in the New US Climate Plan (INDC). 2015. https://www.wri.org/insights/what-look-new-us-climate-plan-indc.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=What to Look for in the New US Climate Plan (INDC) |date=27 March 2015 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/what-look-new-us-climate-plan-indc |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2015what, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{What to Look for in the New US Climate Plan (INDC)}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/what-look-new-us-climate-plan-indc}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }