McKinsey Report on Emissions Reduction

A report released by McKinsey, Reducing U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost?, concludes that the United States could cut its projected 2030 greenhouse gas emissions by 33% to 50% at modest cost, using energy efficiency and other proven, on-the-shelf technologies. As much as 40 percent of the emission reductions could result from policy measures that more than pay for themselves over their lifetimes.

In one of the report's more notable findings, aggressive application of energy efficiency technology in new and existing homes and commercial buildings could eliminate the need for 80 percent of new electricity generation that would be required to meet new demand in 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario in which no new efficiency improvements are made.

Interestingly, of the many emission reduction methods considered, hybrid cars are by far the most expensive.