As the COP27 climate summit began in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on Sunday, all eyes were on one of the biggest polluters of them all — the US. Last year, President Joe Biden reversed his predecessor’s exit from the Paris Agreement and announced that the country would meet its target of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent to 52 percent of 2005 levels by the year 2030. Worryingly, however, the country’s emissions climbed by 6.2 percent in 2021 after a pandemic-driven 10 percent drop in 2020. This put its emissions at about 17.4 percent below the 2005 level, indicating the long distance that the US still has to go in just eight years to keep to its commitment. The data for 2022, though still not out, portends ill as the use of coal as thermal power fuel is certain to have continued its climb in view of the near-record prices for natural gas and other fossil fuels for most of the year. With economic consumption rising and transport and travel racing back to pre-pandemic levels, the emissions from the world’s second-largest contributor are sure to have risen sharply in the current year. Yet, at COP27, the US need not be on the defensive. A recent report by consultancy McKinsey gives reason for hope. One of the biggest hurdles in cutting emissions is access to technology. A lot of companies all over the world are trying to find technical solutions to cut emissions, from practical ideas like enhancing efficiency and cutting waste right down to outlandish ideas like installing giant mirrors in space to deflect the sun’s rays. While there is a lot of focus on new technologies that are still in labs or scientists’ heads, the McKinsey report says that US companies have ready access to all the technology they would need to meet 90 percent of their emissions reduction target by 2025. The report looks at a mix of solutions, including obvious ones like increasing reliance on renewable power, since the electricity generation sector accounts for almost 25 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions in the US. Although the solutions are there, using them may be more challenging than McKinsey analysts believe. Many states in the US, notably those governed by the Republican Party, are ramping up their coal production, partly because it is far cheaper to produce, but also to please Donald Trump, who is perhaps the most climate-cynical leader in the world. Although the solutions are there, using them may be more challenging than McKinsey analysts believe. Ranvir S. Nayar The other large contributor to emissions is transportation, which generates almost as much carbon dioxide as power production. McKinsey says there is an urgent need to decarbonize this industry, again by turning to technologies that have been around for decades, such as electric-powered motors, hydrogen fuel cells for cars and blended jet fuel for aviation. Part of the challenge here is recognized by McKinsey, which says that the inertia could be because of the tens of millions of automobiles that run on diesel or petrol and whose owners may be loath to spend money to switch to an electric or hydrogen-powered car, not least due to the sharp price difference. To encourage users to switch to greener options, governments around the world have tried to offer subsidies, but the gap is too great to be covered by government payouts. It is the automobile industry’s responsibility to churn out affordable electric vehicles but, for now at least, that does not seem to be the direction that automakers in the West are going in. Another challenge, mainly for the power sector but also for transport, is the heavy reliance on natural gas. Though definitely cleaner than coal or oil as a fuel, natural gas use has risen sharply and today it contributes to about 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and up to 80 percent of methane emissions in the US, mainly through leaks. The US, which switched to natural gas only a few decades back, will now have to get off this addiction within the next eight years and move to greener solutions. Another area in which the US can address emissions is by better preserving its massive forests and natural reserves. These, even today, capture about 10 percent of the country’s total emissions and their capacity could be enhanced through better forest management and conservation. But the challenge again is that both business and politics have led to the bleeding of the US’ forest resources. Though Biden is certainly better than Trump in terms of his approach toward conservation, many states, including a few Democrat-governed ones, are opening up more primary forests for mining and construction. This will cost the country a lot in the not too distant future. If the US could enhance its conservation of forests and significantly alter its usage profile in power generation and transportation, it could be well on the way to meeting its 2030 challenge or even surpassing it. But can it find the political will to go the distance? • Ranvir S. Nayar is managing editor of Media India Group.