The US has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 26%-28% by 2025.

It is part of a global treaty aimed at preventing the worst effects of climate change which is to be finalised in Paris at the end of the year.

The Obama administration submitted its target to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) yesterday – the deadline for wealthy nations to make their offers.

The US target is expected to roughly double the pace of reducing carbon emissions from 1.2% on average during the 2005-2020 period to 2.3%-2.8% per year between 2020 and 2025.

The Obama administration said: “This ambitious target is grounded in intensive analysis of cost-effective carbon pollution reductions achievable under existing law and will keep the United States on the pathway to achieve deep economy-wide reductions of 80% or more by 2050.”

The European Union previously announced it would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.