资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

The United States emits billions of metric tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year—6.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent in 2019 alone. Figure 1 breaks down these emissions by economic sector. To reduce emissions and help mitigate climate change, the federal government can implement several types of policies.

Federal emissions reduction policies can be designed to cover the entire economy or target specific sectors. Economy-wide policy options include carbon pricing, along with other comprehensive policy portfolios that combine sector-specific policies across the entire economy. This explainer provides an overview of economy-wide policy options, comparing pricing programs to a portfolio approach that seeks to reduce emissions, sector by sector, throughout the economy.