The recently-announced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) by the United States, which seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 61 to 66% below 2005 levels by 2035, falls well below what’s required to avoid ‘climate chaos’, 350.org has said.
Earlier this month, the Biden administration stated that the NDC will keep the United States ‘on a straight line or steeper path to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050’.
‘A decisive decade’
However, Jeff Ordower, 350.org North America director said that the pledge doesn’t go far enough.
“In this decisive decade and after a year of horrendous climate impacts in the US that have affected countless communities the science is still being ignored by the world’s largest historical polluter, the US,” he said. “The climate target is well below what’s needed to prevent climate chaos and is an insult to the communities on the frontline who are feeling the impacts of climate change more than ever before.”
In particular, 350.org noted that the NDC fails to commit funds to climate-affected communities in the Global South, as well as missing sectoral targets for fossil fuel phase out and the renewable energy transition.
Ordower called on President Biden to step up the country’s climate commitments before leaving office, with incoming President Trump likely to roll back on some of the country’s climate pledges.
“With decreasing demand for fossil fuels predicted in the next 10 years, we know that ensuring the renewable energy revolution is necessary regardless of who is the US president,” he added. “But the pace of the US transition has enormous consequences for US frontline communities and abroad.
“While falling far short of what we need, the NDC does still offer some targets that US cities and states can use as a blueprint for climate progress beyond the White House. We call on President Biden to add to this by adopting the Fair Shares US emissions and financial targets before he leaves office.” Read more here.
Life after Trump
Previously, the World Resources Institute (WRI) noted that the US‘s NDC can act as a ‘North Star’ for what the country should be aiming for, once Trump leaves office in 2029.
“To safeguard our future, we will need to significantly increase investments to boost resilience in the face of climate impacts that will continue to get worse,” Debbie Weyl, WRI US acting director, commented. “The American people deserve nothing less.” Read more here.
