United States. President Barack Obama recently issued an executive order designed to cut the federal government's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 40% over the next decade from 2008 levels — saving taxpayers up to $18 billion in avoided energy costs.
The plan also intends to increase to 30% the percentage of electricity the federal government consumes from renewable sources.
Complementing this effort, several major federal suppliers are announcing commitments to reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions. Taken together, the combined results of the federal government's actions and commitments from new suppliers are anticipating a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 26 million metric tons by 2025 to 2008 levels, the equivalent of taking nearly 5.5 million cars off the road for a year.
And, to encourage continued progress across the federal supply chain, the government is launching a new scorecard to track emissions disclosures and progress for all major federal suppliers, which, collectively, account for more than $187 billion in federal spending and account for more than 40% of all federal contract dollars.
With a footprint that includes 360,000 buildings, 650,000 fleet vehicles, and $445 billion spent annually on goods and services, the federal government's actions to reduce pollution support renewable energy, and operate more efficiently, which can have a significant impact on national emissions.
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