The U.S. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets

The United States proposed greenhouse gas reduction targets of 17% by 2020 and 26-28% by 2025 relative to 2005 levels. WRI analysis suggests these targets are achievable through the aggressive implementation of federal and state policies, including President Obama's Climate Action Plan. However, further significant action is required to align the U.S. trajectory with a 2°C long-term goal.

• The United States set greenhouse gas reduction targets of 17% by 2020 and 26-28% by 2025 compared to 2005 levels, implying annual reductions of 1.2% between 2005-2020 and 2.3-2.8% between 2020-2025.
• WRI projection scenarios indicate that the 2020 and 2025 targets can be met if proposed federal and state policies are aggressively implemented, specifically those in President Obama's Climate Action Plan concerning methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), energy efficiency, and power plant standards.
• While current policies may maintain emission reduction rates through 2030, the United States will need significant additional actions to reach a long-term trajectory consistent with a 2°C limit.

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} }