The challenge of reducing the American per capita carbon footprint from 16.4 to 3 tons by 2050 seems quite daunting.
Yet if we take it decade by decade, it becomes more doable.
The above graph shows the pathway we can follow: every decade to reduce our carbon emissions by half.
Thus the goal that so many cities and nations now have adopted: reduce our carbon emissions by half by 2030.
Take a look again at this graph showing how we consume energy globally. The gray is coal, the green is oil, and red is natural gas, together making up about 80% of our energy use. By 2050, we have to reduce our use of these fossil fuels to zero to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement of 1.5 C warming.
For an important (and brief) overview on how we can achieve the goal of reducing our carbon emissions by half by 2030, do look at this resource.