Biden's Climate Pledge: Not Easy, Not Impossible

Cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half is doable but hard, experts say, and some of the biggest barriers are political, not technical.

President Joe Biden on Thursday committed the United States to reducing emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide and other gases by 50% to 52% by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.  Experts and advocates had been calling for a pledge of this size, both to rein in emissions from the world's largest economy and second-largest polluter and to encourage other countries to step up their efforts. But to get there, "a lot would have to change very quickly," said energy expert Philip Rossetti at R Street, a public policy research center.