Today, the Center for Global Sustainability (CGS) at the University of Maryland released a new analysis spotlighting the critical role that U.S. states can play in driving progress on climate change. The analysis outlines key state-level policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accelerate the clean energy transition, and meet state-specific climate goals. This examination of state policies offers a potential roadmap that other states might consider.
Drawing from a previous CGS report, Toward 2035: Forging a High-Ambition U.S. Climate Pathway, released in September 2024, this new analysis highlights effective state policies across multiple sectors, including power, transportation, buildings, industry, natural and working lands, methane, and carbon capture and storage (CCS). As the future of federal climate policy faces uncertainty and further rollbacks, subnational climate action is more critical than ever. State governments can help bridge federal policy gaps and move the U.S. climate action forward, while also contributing to wider global climate goals.
“While strong federal climate leadership is critical, in the absence of that leadership, non-federal actors such as state and local governments can still contribute significantly toward the U.S. and global climate goals,” said Kathleen Kennedy, CGS Assistant Research Professor and Maryland Program Lead. “During previous U.S. presidencies, when federal climate actions were scaled back, non-federal actors responded by strengthening their policies and striving toward more ambitious climate goals.”
States are uniquely positioned to adopt and adapt policies that reflect local needs, capacities, and economic contexts. This policy brief provides a summary of successful climate and clean energy strategies that can be tailored to state-specific contexts, allowing governments to demonstrate continued and expanded climate leadership, even in the absence of federal action.
By taking an economy-wide approach and advancing sector-specific solutions, states can build ambitious climate policy agendas that ensure reductions in climate-damaging emissions and support the global effort to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C.
Download the analysis to learn more and check out previous CGS research on non-federal climate leadership and its ability to deliver strong GHG emissions reductions in the context of federal policy rollbacks.
