Leading US financial investors joined some of the country’s largest ­companies on Monday and urged Capitol Hill to follow Europe by setting mandatory targets to reduce US carbon emissions.

The group, which represents more than $4,000bn (€3,004bn, £2,060bn) worth of investor capital, including funds managed by Merrill Lynch, Calpers, Allianz and Calvert, said Washington should end investor uncertainty by establishing “size-able, sensible long-term cuts” to US carbon emissions.