INSIDER: The Climate Effect of the Trump Administration

The document analyzes the potential impact of the Trump administration's reversal of climate policies, such as the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, on U.S. emissions. It synthesizes data from seven organizations, estimating that 2025 emissions under Trump's policies would range from 5.6 to 6.8 GtCO2e, exceeding the U.S. Paris Agreement target. It also examines the potential for states, cities, and companies—represented by the 'We Are Still In' campaign—to offset these increases through clean energy transitions and local policy defense.

• Synthesis of seven studies indicates that if the Trump administration's policies are implemented, U.S. emissions in 2025 are projected to be between 5.6 and 6.8 Gt carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). This is higher than the estimated 5.0 to 6.6 GtCO2e that would have occurred under Obama's policies, and significantly above the U.S. Paris Agreement target of 4.8 to 4.9 GtCO2e.
• The U.S. decision to not meet its nationally determined contribution (NDC) could have a measurable global impact; one study by Climate Interactive suggests global emissions in 2025 would reach 57.3 GtCO2e compared to 55.8 GtCO2e if the NDC were achieved, potentially resulting in 0.3 degrees C (0.5 degrees F) more warming.
• The Trump administration has targeted several key climate policies for rollback, most notably the Clean Power Plan, which is identified as the primary driver of emissions reductions under the previous administration. Other targeted areas include methane emissions from oil and gas equipment, vehicle emission standards, and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) policies.
• Subnational and corporate actors may be able to offset federal rollbacks. A Sierra Club analysis suggests that accelerated coal replacement, defense of existing policies, and local clean energy transitions could reduce 2025 emissions by nearly 4.5 GtCO2e. Additionally, over 2,500 non-federal actors representing more than half of the U.S. economy have pledged support for Paris Agreement goals via the 'We Are Still In' campaign.

APA

World Resources Institute (2017). INSIDER: The Climate Effect of the Trump Administration. https://www.wri.org/insights/insider-climate-effect-trump-administration

Chicago

World Resources Institute. INSIDER: The Climate Effect of the Trump Administration. 2017. https://www.wri.org/insights/insider-climate-effect-trump-administration.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=INSIDER: The Climate Effect of the Trump Administration |date=6 December 2017 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/insider-climate-effect-trump-administration |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2017insider, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{INSIDER: The Climate Effect of the Trump Administration}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2017}, month = dec, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/insider-climate-effect-trump-administration}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }