Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United States

This report by the World Resources Institute provides an overview of the federal policy landscape in the United States regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, evaluating existing measures against the goal of a 17 percent emission reduction by 2020 compared to 2005 levels.

• President Barack Obama pledged at the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties in 2009 to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 17 percent by 2020 relative to 2005 levels, though this pledge lacks support from domestic law.
• Current federal policies driving GHG reductions include the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), renewable energy tax credits, and new standards for trucks and passenger cars.
• U.S. government projections indicate that existing policies may be insufficient to meet the 2020 target or maintain reductions after 2020, necessitating further action. While the U.S. Congress is not currently considering promising initiatives, federal agencies could implement additional standards for HFC consumption, equipment and appliance energy efficiency, and existing power plants.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United States. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-states

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-states |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendgreenhouse, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/greenhouse-gas-mitigation-united-states}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }