The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute provides context and synthesis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trajectories for the United States, specifically evaluating the feasibility of targets proposed relative to 2005 levels and the role of President Obama's Climate Action Plan.

• The United States proposed greenhouse gas reduction targets of approximately 17 percent by 2020 and between 26 and 28 percent by 2025, compared to 2005 emission levels. This implies an average annual reduction of 1.2 percent between 2005 and 2020, increasing to 2.3-2.8 percent between 2020 and 2025.
• World Resources Institute (WRI) projection scenarios indicate that the 2020 and 2025 targets can be met if proposed federal and state policies are aggressively implemented. These include methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), energy efficiency, and standards for existing power plants as part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan.
• While current policies may maintain emission reduction rates through 2030, the United States will require significant additional actions in the future to align with a long-term trajectory consistent with 2oC.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets. https://www.wri.org/research/us-greenhouse-gas-reduction-targets

Chicago

World Resources Institute. The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/us-greenhouse-gas-reduction-targets.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets |url=https://www.wri.org/research/us-greenhouse-gas-reduction-targets |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendgreenhouse, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/us-greenhouse-gas-reduction-targets}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }