How The U.S. Could Halve 2005 Emissions By 2030

A projection by Environmental Defense Fund and Rhodium Group found that shifting electricity production to solar and wind, as well as closing coal power plants, could produce steep cuts by 2030. Limiting emissions from cars, trucks and industrial plants, like steel and cement, would take longer.

Notes

— *Projected emissions include all greenhouse gases minus carbon offsets from practices that lower the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In this projection, carbon offsets would increase by 57% between 2005 and 2030, from 0.74 to 1.16 billion tons annually.
— The sectors in this analysis do not exactly match the EPA’s definitions. In particular, “oil and gas” is shown separately from the “industry” sector.
— This chart does not include potential emissions cuts to smaller sectors, including “buildings” (-16%) and “agriculture” (-10%).

Source: Environmental Defense Fund / Rhodium Group

Credit: Zach Levitt/NPR