Obama Climate Negotiator Says Steep U.S. CO2 Cuts Impossible by 2020

Todd Stern, the top U.S. envoy for climate change, urged Congress to pass a carbon cap-and-trade bill in advance of global climate talks this December in Copenhagen, but he warned that the U.S. will not be able to make drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions before 2020. Speaking at a global warming conference in Washington, Stern said that although passing a cap-and-trade bill is “an extremely tall order … nothing would give a more powerful signal to other countries than to see a significant, major, mandatory (U.S.) plan.” But referring to a climate road map drafted at talks in Bali in 2007 — a plan calling for industrialized nations to slash emissions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 — Stern said, “It’s not possible to get that kind of number. It’s not going to happen.” Stern said, however, that the U.S. would agree to steep cuts after 2020 in order to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent by 2050. He said developing countries must agree to “substantial reductions” in CO2 in Copenhagen, but that the Obama administration is now drafting a financing package to help developing countries cut emissions and adapt to climate change.