In recent years I have come to believe that much of this type of stuff is just a scam intended to enrich the scammers at the taxpayers expense.
I now think much of what the government does is to enrich scammers that have created a strong control over the government by bribing and influencing members of congress to give them special laws and policies.
China and India are the actual producers of C02 on this planet. If they were serious, they would be talking about China and India instead of the US.
You are not far from the truth.