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Working Paper: Charting an Ambitious U.S. NDC of 51% Reductions by 2030

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2021 is a critical year for climate ambition and action globally and in the United States. After four years without federal engagement, the Biden-Harris Administration has made climate a centerpiece of its policy agenda. President Biden campaigned on a commitment to achieve economy-wide decarbonization by 2050 and 100% clean electricity by 2035. Having recently formally re-joined the Paris Agreement, the administration has announced its intent to deliver a new national climate target to the international community, known as a nationally-determined contribution, or NDC, by April 22.

Our analysis shows that a comprehensive federal effort across all sectors and gases could deliver U.S. GHG emissions reductions of 51% below 2005 levels by 2030. This would put the U.S. on a trajectory to net-zero emissions in 2050, consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5ºC.


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School Authors: Haewon McJeon, Alicia Zhao

Other Authors: John Bistline, Maxwell Brown, Maya Domeshek, Cara Marcy, Nicholas Roy, Geoffrey Blanford, Dallas Burtraw, Jamil Farbes, Allen Fawcett, Anne Hamilton, Jesse Jenkins, Ryan Jones, Ben King, Hannah Kolus, John Larsen, Amanda Levin, Megan Mahajan, Erin Mayfield, James McFarland, Robbie Orvis, Neha Patankar, Kevin Rennert, Sally Robson, Christopher Roney, Ethan Russell, Greg Schivley, Daniel Shawhan, Daniel Steinberg, Nadejda Victor, Shelley Wenzel, John Weyant, Ryan Wiser, Mei Yuan