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Instead of strengthening policies that strictly limit greenhouse gas emissions, recent changes in Trump administration policy are easing these restrictions.
- A few weeks later, the Environmental Protection Agency adopted the "clean and affordable energy" rule, which transferred the power to regulate carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants issued by the federal government to states.
- In September, the EPA released a proposal that would ease methane leakage monitoring and repair requirements for energy companies. The new proposal would require companies to carry out leak inspections at least once a year – or every two years for low-yielding oil and gas wells – as compared to every six months under the previous regime. Obama era. This would also give companies 60 days to repair leaks instead of 30.
- When Congress passed the tax recast bill at the end of 2017, a provision of this law allowed Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to open oil and gas drilling. . Congress had tried to pass the measure several times before.
The report of the UN working group cites several ways in which countries can reduce their emissions, including "the phasing out of coal in the energy sector, increasing the amount of energy used in the energy sector. Energy produced from renewable sources "and" electrifying transport ".
"We appreciate the hard work of scientists and experts, including many from the United States, who developed this report with considerable time pressure," said EPA spokesman John Konkus in a statement. statement to CNN. "In accordance with IPCC procedures, the report and its contents are the responsibility of the authors, and governments do not formally endorse the specific conclusions presented by the authors."
Konkus noted that greenhouse gas emissions in the United States have decreased by 12% since 2005.
Scientists working on this report said the world was already beginning to see the impact of global warming by 1 degree Celsius and had warned that if countries did not intervene to maintain warming at only 1.5 degrees Celsius, instead of letting it reach 2 degrees. Celsius – some of the damage could be irreparable.
"Every little extra warming counts, especially because a warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius or more increases the risk associated with lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems," said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of the Committee. Working Group II, one of the groups that drafted the report, said in a press release.
Asked about policies implemented by the EPA to reduce emissions, Konkus said that "every action taken by the EPA aims to improve human health and the environment".
