Projected U.S. Emissions under Different Federal Regulatory Scenarios and State Scenarios

This chart is based on WRI’s analysis of potential reductions under existing federal authorities and announced state actions through 2030.

The three potential reduction scenarios analyzed include a “Lackluster” scenario that aggregates reductions at the lower end of what is technically feasible and therefore represents low regulatory ambition; a “Middle-of-the-Road” scenario that combines reductions generally in the middle of the range considered technically feasible and corresponding to moderate regulatory ambition; and a “Go-Getter” scenario that adds up reductions that may be considered toward the higher end of what is technically feasible and corresponds to higher regulatory ambition. State-level reductions were quantified using economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction targets and regional cap-and-trade programs.

This chart depicts the additional reductions achievable when three state-level scenarios are added to the federal policy scenarios.