On Dec. 19, 2024, President Joe Biden announced an ambitious new climate target for the United States: a 61 percent-66 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, compared to 2005 levels. This announcement is a signal to the international community that the U.S. remains committed to combating climate change.

The new target was formally communicated to the United Nations Climate Change secretariat in an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) toward the Paris Agreement goal to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. It significantly expands on the United States’ previous pledge of a 50 percent-52 percent reduction by 2030. This accelerated trajectory toward decarbonization also brings the U.S. back into alignment with President Biden’s target of a net zero greenhouse gas economy no later than 2050.

However, the announcement comes at a politically fraught moment, with President-elect Donald Trump expected to withdraw the U.S. from Paris climate treaty again, and roll back many of Biden’s climate policies.

This juxtaposition underscores the fragility of long-term climate commitments in the U.S. federal system. The new target serves as both a legacy statement for President Biden and a call for state governments, tribes, local communities, and businesses to sustain progress, even amid federal policy shifts.

Key Strategies to Achieve the Target

Meeting the 61 percent-66 percent reduction target will require a combination of policies, investments, and innovation across key sectors:

• Accelerating Renewable Energy Deployment: Expanding wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources is critical to decarbonizing the power sector. Enhanced federal support, such as tax incentives and grid modernization projects, will be needed to maintain momentum.
• Enhancing Energy Efficiency: Energy efficiency measures across buildings, industry, and transportation sectors can significantly reduce emissions. Strategies include retrofitting older buildings, improving industrial processes, and adopting energy-saving technologies.
• Electrifying Transportation and Industry: Transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) and electrifying industrial processes will reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Continued investment in EV charging infrastructure and low-carbon industrial technologies will be essential.
• Advancing Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): CCS technologies, though still in development, offer potential for capturing emissions from hard-to-decarbonize sectors like cement and steel production.
• Promoting Sustainable Land Use: Policies aimed at reducing deforestation, promoting regenerative agriculture, and restoring ecosystems can provide significant emissions reductions while enhancing biodiversity.
• Strengthening Regulations: Enforcing stricter emissions standards and incentivizing corporate sustainability will help ensure compliance across industries.

Challenges on the Horizon

While ambitious, the new target comes with significant challenges:

• Political Polarization: The incoming administration has already signaled plans to scale back federal climate policies, creating uncertainty about how federal agencies will enforce or build upon the announced target. This places added pressure on states and municipalities to lead climate action.
• Economic Constraints: Balancing economic growth with the cost of transitioning to a low-carbon economy will require careful resource allocation and private-sector partnerships.
• Technological Hurdles: Scaling up emerging technologies like CCS and green hydrogen, which are vital for deep decarbonization, remains a challenge due to prohibitively high costs and technical barriers.
• Infrastructure Overhaul: Upgrading infrastructure to accommodate renewable energy, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient buildings will require significant investment and long-term planning.
• Global Competition: Maintaining leadership in clean energy innovation and manufacturing is critical as countries like China and the EU aggressively expand their green economies.

Counting on Leadership from State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments

President Biden issued a call to action for states, local and tribal governments to keep stepping up if there is lack of support from the next administration. Senior Biden administration officials added, in a press call after the announcement: “Subnational leaders in the United States can continue to show the world that American climate leadership is determined by so much more than whoever sits in the Oval Office.” 

The new targets provide a blueprint for action at state, local, and corporate levels and, as explained in the White House Fact Sheet, the Inflation Reduction Act has provided substantial support to implement those actions.

“More than 45 states and more than 200 Tribes, territories, and metro areas have now developed their own Climate Action Plans, representing a historic set of opportunities for subnational climate progress across sectors. More than $4 billion of Climate Pollution Reduction Grants awarded by the Biden-Harris Administration will also advance 59 implementation projects across 30 states, 33 Tribal Nations, and 1 territory to reduce climate pollution from every sector of the economy.”

In addition to anticipated support from environmental advocacy organizations, at the time the new goals were announced they received strong statements of support from a number of substantial bipartisan coalitions, including: U.S. Climate Alliance (a bipartisan coalition of 24 governors representing nearly 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population ); America Is All ln (a coalition of leaders from thousands of U.S. cities, states, tribal nations, businesses, schools, and faith, health, and cultural institutions, co-chaired by former U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy); and Climate Mayors (a bipartisan network of nearly 350 mayors, representing 46 states and nearly 60 million Americans).

Takeaways

The Biden administration’s announcement of a 61 percent-66 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 is a bold statement of intent, signaling the nation’s commitment to addressing climate change. While political and economic challenges remain, the target provides a framework for continued progress at all levels of government and society.

Achieving these ambitious targets will require continuing leadership and resilience from states, tribal and local governments, and businesses. By acting decisively and fostering collaboration, they can drive forward innovative solutions and maintain progress, even in the face of federal uncertainty.