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What Would it Take to Reduce US Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% by 2050?

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  • Geoffrey Heal

Abstract

I investigate the cost and feasibility of reducing US GHG emissions by 80% from 2005 levels by 2050. The US has stated in its Paris COP 21 submission that this is its aspiration. I suggest that this goal can be reached at a cost in the range of $37 to $135 bn/year. I assume that the goal is to be reached by extensive use of solar PV and wind energy (66% of generating capacity), in which case the cost of energy storage plays a key role in the overall cost. I conclude tentatively that more limited use of renewables (less than 50%) together with increased use of nuclear power might be less costly.

Suggested Citation

  • Geoffrey Heal, 2016. "What Would it Take to Reduce US Greenhouse Gas Emissions 80% by 2050?," NBER Working Papers 22525, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:22525
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Björn Nykvist & Måns Nilsson, 2015. "Rapidly falling costs of battery packs for electric vehicles," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(4), pages 329-332, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hugh Rockoff, 2016. "The U.S. Economy in WWII as a Model for Coping with Climate Change," Departmental Working Papers 201609, Rutgers University, Department of Economics.
    2. Cole, Wesley & Antonysamy, Adithya & Brown, Patrick & Sergi, Brian & Mai, Trieu & Denholm, Paul, 2023. "How much might it cost to decarbonize the power sector? It depends on the metric," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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