Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191

The testimony argues that the America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191) is a strong legislative proposal to address global warming through a cap-and-trade system. Dr. Pershing asserts that the US, having contributed 28 percent of atmospheric emissions, must lead the transition to a low-carbon economy to enable a successful international agreement. WRI analysis suggests the bill would cover 82 percent of US emissions, reducing covered emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and 71 percent by 2050 relative to 2005 levels. The testimony emphasizes that the economic impact of the bill's carbon price would be minimal, with some state-level models showing GDP increases when combined with complementary policies. The bill includes cost-containment strategies such as free allowance allocations, auctions, and offsets to ease the economic transition for industries and consumers.

• The United States bears a significant historical responsibility for global warming, having contributed 28 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions currently in the atmosphere despite having only 4.6 percent of the world's population.
• The IPCC indicates that global emissions must be reduced by 50-85% below 2000 levels by 2050 to keep global average temperatures below two degrees of warming, with emissions needing to stabilize by 2035.
• The America’s Climate Security Act (S. 2191) would subject 82 percent of all US emissions to mandatory reduction obligations, covering the power, industrial, and transportation sectors, as well as most residential and commercial emissions.
• WRI estimates that S. 2191 would reduce covered emissions from 2005 levels by 17 percent in 2020 and by 71 percent in 2050, though total US emissions (including uncovered sectors) are estimated to be 16 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 27 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
• Economic modeling suggests the cost of implementing S. 2191 is modest; one analysis by the Nicholas Institute projected that GDP in 2030 would rise by 111% from 2005 levels under the bill, compared to a 112% increase in a business-as-usual scenario.
• To mitigate economic burdens, S. 2191 provides a free allocation of 40 percent of the total allowance pool to regulated entities, which is phased out over 24 years.
• The bill utilizes a national policy floor for emissions but allows states to exceed this floor, and it instructs the EPA to harmonize reporting with the Climate Registry, which is already used by 40 states.

APA

Pershing, J. (n.d.). Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/publications/testimony-dr-jonathan-pershing-us-senate-environment-and-public-works-committee

Chicago

Pershing, Jonathan. Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191. World Resources Institute, n.d. https://www.wri.org/publications/testimony-dr-jonathan-pershing-us-senate-environment-and-public-works-committee.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Pershing |first1=Jonathan |title=Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191 |publisher=World Resources Institute |url=https://www.wri.org/publications/testimony-dr-jonathan-pershing-us-senate-environment-and-public-works-committee |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{pershingndtestimony, author = {Pershing, Jonathan}, title = {{Testimony of Dr. Jonathan Pershing before the US Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Legislative Hearing on America’s Climate Security Act of 2007, S. 2191}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/publications/testimony-dr-jonathan-pershing-us-senate-environment-and-public-works-committee}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }