US CO2 targets 'may not be achieved'

US greenhouse emission goals may not be met due political opposition, it has been reported.

Speaking to the BBC, US energy secretary Steven Chu said the US has to cut emissions immediately, even if compromises need to be made in order to get laws passed.

It is feared that the US' climate and energy bill may be rejected by senators who receive funding from the energy sector.

"With each successive year, the news on climate change has not been good and there's a growing sensation that the world and the US in particular has to get moving," he said.

One way to save a considerable amount of energy in the country is to introduce an efficiency programme for commercial buildings, which could cut their energy demand by around 80 per cent, Mr Chu added.

A Nobel Prize laureate, Steven Chu is an advocate of using science to combat global warming and reduce emissions.