http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2242198/report-us-falling-short-on-obama-s-climate-targets

 

As environmentalists praise the President's latest cabinet pick, World Resources Institute warns more ambitious policies are needed to cut emissions 17 per cent by 2020

 

The US will fail to meet President Obama's stated goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 17 per cent against 2005 levels by 2020 unless urgent action is taken to tackle emissions from fossil fuel industries.

That is the stark warning contained in a new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI), which argues that despite recent figures showing that US emissions have fallen to their lowest level in almost 20 years deeper cuts can only be achieved if President Obama pursues more ambitious climate policies.

According to a study last week from Bloomberg New Energy Finance, US emissions have fallen 13 per cent in the past five years as a result of improved energy efficiency, a doubling of renewable energy capacity, and the country's high profile shift from coal to gas power.

However, the WRI report, entitled Can the US Get There from Here?, argues that current trends will not allow the US to meet the 17 per cent target, particularly if the economy continues to require. It also warns that it is well short of its long term goal of cutting emissions 80 per cent by 2050.

The study recommends a series of actions President Obama can take without approval from Congress that would ensure the 17 per cent target is met, including new emissions standards for existing power plants, improved policies to promote energy efficient appliances, and tighter restrictions on HFC emissions and methane released by shale gas fracking.

"The Administration has multiple ways to move forward with smart policies to reduce US emissions," said Nicholas Bianco, Senior Associate at WRI and the lead author of the report. "The best opportunity is to enact new standards for existing power plants, which represent one-third of all US emissions. The Administration has the ability to put the U.S. on track to meet its commitments, and can do so in a cost-effective and efficient manner."

The US EPA has imposed emissions performance standards on new or upgraded coal-fired power plants, but speculation is now mounting that the Obama administration could instruct the agency to extend the standards to all power plants, effectively forcing aging facilities to shut down or invest in curbing their emissions.

Environmentalists are hoping Obama will use next week's State of the Union address to provide more details on how he plans to strengthen environmental policies, after vowing in his inauguration address last month to "respond to the threat of climate change".

Their optimism has been further stoked this week after Obama announced Sally Jewell as his choice for the post of Interior Secretary. Jewell is a former oil engineer and president of the REI outdoor equipment company, who has won several environmental awards for her work promoting conservation and National Parks.

Meanwhile, an announcement is expected soon on who will replace Lisa Jackson as head of the EPA, with Gina McCarthy, the official who leads the agency's air quality work, said to be the most likely candidate.

And Reuters' reported yesterday that nuclear physicist and MIT academic Ernest Moniz was favourite to take over from Steven Chu as the next Energy Secretary.

Moniz, who worked as undersecretary at the Energy Department during the Clinton administration, is director of the MIT's Energy Initiative, which has worked on a wide range of research projects designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

His prospective appointment could prove contentious with green groups, however, as he has in the past advocated the use of shale gas and fracking as a means of curbing the use of coal and transitioning to a low carbon economy.

Critics of the US shale gas boom were given further ammunition yesterday when the EPA released figures showing that natural gas and oil production are now the second biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions after power plants.

The study, which for the first time included data on emissions from fracking and leaks from transmission pipes, said the industry's carbon footprint reached 225 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent during 2011.

The emissions equate to just a tenth of the carbon footprint of power plants, but the figures will still add to calls from green groups for tighter regulations to limit flaring and methane leaks from fracking projects.