United States

Key Statistics

Cumulative CO2 Emissions from Energy (1990-2005)

Global Rank

1st
Per Capita Global Rank

1st
Percent Global total

23.71%
Tons Per Person
293T

Kyoto Goals and Status

Kyoto Target, Compared to 1990

-7% (Withdrew)
Emissions Change (1990-2007)

+15.8%

Key Negotiators

Map

Copenhagen Positions

Long Term Temperature Goal

+2 Degrees Celsius
2020 Target

TBD
2050 Target

-80% (Compared to 1990 levels)
Annex I 2020 Target

Historical and Projected Data

1990 2007 2020 2030
Polluter Rank–Per Capita (Annual)1 6th 7th
Polluter Rank–Gross (Annual)2 1st 2nd
Total Annual GHG Emissions (CO2e, millions)3 19.9% 18.4%*
Tons of CO2 Per Person (Annual)4 23.9T 23.5T
Percent of World Population5 4.7% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5%
Population (thousands) and Rank6 250,132/3rd 301,290/3rd 341,387/3rd 373,504/3rd
C02 Emissions from Energy Use (CO2e, millions) 5,193.6 Mt7 6,170.3 Mt8 5,773Mt9 5,804Mt10
C02 Emissions from Land Use Change & Forestry (CO2e, millions) -841.4Mt11 -1,062.6Mt12
Responsibility and Capacity Index13 (Percent of Global) 29.1% 25.7%
G-20 Low Carbon Competitive Index14 (Rank/Index) #10/.56 C4 C5
  1. Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT) Version 6.0. (Washington, DC: World Resources Institute, 2009), GHG emissions from C02, CH4, N20, PFCs, HFC, SF6, excluding Land-Use Change & Forestry. ↩
  2. Ibid ↩
  3. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, 1990-2007, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, April 2009, p. ES-14, GHG emissions from C02, CH4, N20, PFCs, HFC, SF6, excluding Land-Use Change & Forestry. 6,098.7Mt 7,150.1Mt Percent of Global Emissions[7. CAIT, Version 6.0, GHG emissions from C02, CH4, N20, PFCs, HFC, SF6, excluding Land-Use Change & Forestry. ↩
  4. Ibid ↩
  5. U.S. Census Bureau, International Data Base (IDB) ↩
  6. Ibid ↩
  7. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, ↩
  8. Ibid ↩
  9. CAIT, Greenhouse Gas Emission Projections, using IEA, World Energy Outlook 2008 data set. ↩
  10. Ibid ↩
  11. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, ↩
  12. Ibid ↩
  13. The Greenhouse Development Rights Framework, The Right to Development in A Climate Constrained World (pdf), p.6, September 2008. ↩
  14. G20 Low Carbon Competitiveness Report. (pdf) ↩

International Climate Policy

The United States is responsible for more of the greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere than any other country.  This fact, and that the U.S. is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, means that the participation of the United States in the future international climate regime agreed to in Copenhagen is critical to ensuring the effectiveness and integrity of international efforts to address climate change.

President Obama has committed the United States to rejoining international efforts to reduce address climate change. An important consideration for President Obama is that any treaty must be approved by a two-thirds super-majority in the U.S. Senate in order to be ratified.   President Obama hopes to avoid the predicament that President Clinton faced following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, which was never submitted for ratification as it would most likely have been defeated by the Senate, due to concern that major developing countries, particularly China, did not have emission reductions targets.1

President Obama has asked for the U.S. Congress to pass a climate bill in advance of Copenhagen as evidence of U.S. commitment to emissions reductions.2Congress has responded by passing legislation in the House of Representatives with near term (2020) reduction targets  of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020, or equivalent to 3-4% below 1990 levels.

In late November, the White House announced that it would put on the a “provisional target” on the table in Copenhagen in the range of 17% below 2005 levels, or about 4% below the 1990 levels. After initially announcing that he would only join the conference for a single day in the first week of negotiations, President Obama subsequently announced that he had changed his plans to arrive on December 18, when  approximately 100 Heads of States that are attending the conference will be there, indicating a commitment to ensuring a deal is reached in Copenhagen.

Current Domestic Government Programs

  • Efficiency Standard for Automobiles: President Obama announced the first ever joint fuel economy/greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks in May. The new standards are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program with a fuel economy gain averaging more than 5 percent per year and a reduction of approximately 900 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Recovery Act: The U.S. is investing more than $80 billion in clean energy through its Recovery Act – including the largest-ever investment in renewable energy, which will double our generation of clean renewable energy like wind and solar in three years.

The United States is responsible for more of the greenhouse gases currently in the atmosphere than any other country.  This fact, and that the U.S. is not a party to the Kyoto Protocol, means that the participation of the United States in the future international climate regime agreed to in Copenhagen is critical to ensuring the effectiveness and integrity of international efforts to address climate change.

President Obama has committed the United States to rejoining the international regime for the second round of commitments following Kyoto. An important consideration for President Obama is that any treaty must be approved by a two-thirds super-majority in the U.S. Senate in order to be ratified.   President Obama hopes to avoid the predicament that President Clinton faced following the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, which was never submitted for ratification as it would most likely have been defeated by the Senate, due to concern that major developing countries, particularly China, did not have emission reductions targets.1

Within the recent Major Economies Forum (MEF) the U.S. supported long term (2050) reduction targets of 50% below for global emissions, and 80% for developed countries.   President Obama has asked for the U.S. Congress to pass a climate bill in advance of Copenhagen as evidence of U.S. commitment to emissions reductions.2

The near term (2020) reduction targets identified in the draft climate legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate September 30th would reduce U.S. emissions 20% below 2005 levels by 2020,5 though it is currently unlikely that a bill will be passed and presented to President Obama for signature prior to Copenhagen. Without greater certainty on what levels of reductions will be approved by Congress, it is not clear if the U.S. will agree to targets in Copenhagen.    

Negotiation Bloc: Umbrella Group

  1. See Byrd-Hagel Resolution, S.Res. 98, 105th Congress. ↩
  2. See Also Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Testimony before House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming (pdf), September 10, 2009, p.4. ↩
  3. See Byrd-Hagel Resolution, S.Res. 98, 105th Congress. ↩
  4. See Also Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Testimony before House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming (pdf), September 10, 2009, p.4. ↩
  5. Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act, §703 (a)(2). ↩

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