U.S. CO2 Output Projected to Be Above 1990 Level in 2030

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-04/u-s-co2-output-projected-to-be-above-1990-level-in-2030.html

U.S. CO2 Output Projected to Be Above 1990 Level in 2030
By Alex Morales 2014-06-04T09:30:21Z

U.S. carbon emissions are projected to remain above 1990 levels in 2030, even after U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration announced new rules to slash greenhouse gases from power plants by almost a third.

Total U.S. emissions in 2030 will probably be about 5 percent above 1990 levels, according to a report today from the Climate Action Tracker, which analyzes global efforts to fight climate change. 1990 is the base year for the Kyoto Protocol, the only international treaty limiting greenhouse gases.

The U.S. says it’s on track to meet a pledge to cut total national emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels in 2020, and two days ago, the Environmental Protection Agency outlined new rules to slash emissions from power plants by 30 percent by 2030. Power plants account for about a third of domestic emissions.

“While the proposal is welcome, it is insufficient to meet the U.S.’s pledges of 17 percent reduction of all greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 and is inconsistent with its long-term target of 83 percent below 2005 level by 2050,” Niklas Hoehne, an analyst at Ecofys, said today in an e-mailed statement.