Biden announces U.S. aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030

The United States is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade, President Biden has announced.

The White House confirmed on Thursday that the administration is setting a goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 50 to 52 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, and Biden spoke on this target during a climate summit with world leaders that took place on Earth Day.

"Scientists tell us this is the decisive decade," Biden said. "This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis."

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The target, The New York Times wrote, was a "significant step up" from the pledge for a between 26 to 28 percent reduction by 2025 that was set under former President Barack Obama. An official told CNN the more ambitious target unveiled Thursday would give the United States "significant leverage" to convince other countries to step up their goals ahead of this year's climate summit in Glasgow.

"The steps our countries take between now and Glasgow will set the world up for success," Biden said during his Thursday remarks.

The president didn't go into details about how the U.S. plans to meet this new goal, but a senior administration official told CNN that "achieving that target is something we can do in multiple ways." Brendan Morrow