Local policy in the United States goes some way towards countering anthropogenic climate change.
Abstract
The non-participation of the United States in the recently ratified Kyoto Protocol1 is a matter for global concern because it is estimated that the country produces 24% of all greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide2. Here we analyse the commitment of individual states and municipalities to addressing this problem and find that, despite the federal policy, between 24 and 35% of the US population are currently (or soon will be) engaged in policies directed towards significantly reducing anthropogenic climate change. The importance of this sub-national effort, which we estimate corresponds to 27–49% of the gross domestic product, will depend — like the targets adopted in Kyoto — on the real reductions achieved in greenhouse-gas emissions.
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Fisher, B., Costanza, R. Regional commitment to reducing emissions. Nature 438, 301–302 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/438301a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/438301a
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