U.S. Puts Obama Carbon Cut Pledge into Copenhagen Accord

By: Margaret Ryan, Published: 01/28/10 5:42pm

The U.S. formally affiliated with the Copenhagen Accord today, and pledged to cut its carbon emissions 17% from 2005 levels, conditional on Congressional action on climate legislation.

In a letter to the UN Framework Conventional of Climate Change Secretariat, chief U.S. negotiator Todd Stern said the "pathway" in that pending legislation would cut U.S. emissions 30% by 2025, 42% by 2030, and 83% by 2050.

Those are the levels President Obama offered when he spoke to the Copenhagen climate conference. While achieving the levels needs Congressional action, the accord itself does not.

Stern wrote, "The U.S. submission reflects President Obama's continued commitment to meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge through robust domestic and international action that will strengthen our economy, enhance our national security and protect our environment."

Stern said the U.S. is affiliating under the assumption that other industrialized nations and large emerging economies will follow through with the deal reached in Copenhagen and also affiliate.