Limiting net greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Executive summary

Over the past decade, global climate change has been a subject of growing concern. The United States government in general, and the US Department of Energy in particular, have increased their level of activity in this area in recent years; since the 1970s, the DOE has sponsored scientific research programs in global climate change. These programs have sought to define the issues, reduce uncertainties, and quantify the interaction of global human and natural systems. Understanding the relationship between the production and use of energy and the accumulation of radiatively active gases in the atmosphere, as well as the consequences of this relationship for global climate systems, has been of particular interest, because constructive policy cannot be formulated without a firm scientific grasp of these issues. The National Energy Strategy was developed to address all of the nation`s energy concerns, taking into account related environmental issues such as global climate change. Actions included in the National Energy Strategy are projected to hold US energy-related emissions of greenhouse important gases, weighted by IPCC-estimated global warming potential (GWP) coefficients, at or below 1990 levels through the year 2030.