Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back the sustainability agenda in the United States, states and local governments can still play a key role in enabling the US to meet its climate targets, a new study by America Is All In has suggested.
According to the study, Pathways to 2035: Expanding Non-Federal Climate Leadership in the United States, which was conducted alongside the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, non-federal efforts could lead to a 56% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, compared to 2005 levels, if ambitious measures are pursued at state and local level.
‘Continuing to push forward’
“If our current federal government refuses to track and submit US progress toward meeting our climate goals, America Is All In will,” commented Gina McCarthy, America Is All In managing co-chair, and a former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Governors, mayors, the private sector, and more continue to push forward, driving our transition to clean energy. There are so many opportunities at the state and local levels to grow jobs and protect our health and well-being, and we’re going to deliver this brighter future for our kids.”
Recent changes to federal legislation, including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, have reduced clean energy investment and production capacity in the US, as well as repealing regulations linked to transport and energy emissions.
Despite these rollbacks, the report suggests that local leadership, combined with the prospect of renewed federal engagement after 2028 – i.e. once Trump leaves office – can keep the US on track to slash emissions by the mid part of the next decade.
“As international partners look to US cities, states, and businesses to fill the gap created by current US federal policy rollbacks, this study underscores the importance of non-federal actions in driving US climate ambition in the near term,” added Nate Hultman, director at the Center for Global Sustainability. “A critical component of this report is the need to identify and implement opportunities to raise climate ambition within jurisdictions that currently have moderate or low ambition in order to have the greatest impact on overall US emissions reductions.
“Our findings show that innovative local policies and market-driven clean technology investments can keep the US on a path toward significant emissions reductions, even in challenging times.”
America Is All In
America Is All In is a coalition of US cities, states, businesses, and institutions committed to advancing a clean energy economy and maintaining US engagement with Paris Agreement objectives through coordinated, non-federal climate action.
The coalition’s call comes days before COP30 gets underway in Brazil, to which America Is All In is sending representatives. Last week, the Trump administration confirmed that it will not send any high-level government officials to the Belém gathering. Read more here.
