Addressing Carbon Pollution from Power Plants Is Vital for Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change

The World Resources Institute supports the U.S. EPA's proposed emissions standards for new power plants as a key component of the President's Climate Action Plan. While the standards provide flexibility through carbon capture and storage (CCS) and reflect market shifts toward natural gas and renewables, the document emphasizes that addressing the existing power plant fleet is the most critical opportunity for emissions reductions, as electricity generation accounts for one-third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

• The U.S. EPA's proposed emissions standards for new power plants are a key mechanism for the United States to meet its international commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
• The EPA has incorporated flexibility into the new standards, allowing future coal plants to use advanced technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), either by averaging emissions over seven years to allow for retrofitting or by installing partial capture systems.
• Market trends are already driving a shift away from coal toward natural gas and renewables; the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that utilities plan to add 244 new gas-fired generators compared to only 10 coal-fired generators over the next decade.
• Electricity generation is the largest single sector for potential emissions reductions, accounting for one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., making standards for existing power plants more impactful than those for new plants.

APA

Obeiter, M. (2013). Addressing Carbon Pollution from Power Plants Is Vital for Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/addressing-carbon-pollution-power-plants-vital-avoiding-catastrophic-climate-change

Chicago

Obeiter, Michael. Addressing Carbon Pollution from Power Plants Is Vital for Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change. World Resources Institute, 2013. https://www.wri.org/insights/addressing-carbon-pollution-power-plants-vital-avoiding-catastrophic-climate-change.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Obeiter |first1=Michael |title=Addressing Carbon Pollution from Power Plants Is Vital for Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=20 September 2013 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/addressing-carbon-pollution-power-plants-vital-avoiding-catastrophic-climate-change |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{obeiter2013addressing, author = {Obeiter, Michael}, title = {{Addressing Carbon Pollution from Power Plants Is Vital for Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2013}, month = sep, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/addressing-carbon-pollution-power-plants-vital-avoiding-catastrophic-climate-change}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }