The Foreign Service Journal, March 2008

L ast month’s issue of the For- eign Service Journal usefully highlighted one of the great challenges confronting us in the 21st century: global climate change. As understanding of this issue con- tinues to grow, so, too, does under- standing of the means to address it. U.S. climate change policy has been one of constant innovation, action and flexibility. In his first major speech on the subject in June 2001, President George W. Bush said, “We will act, learn and act again, adjusting our approaches as science advances and technology evolves.” Armed with the recent findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global leaders are increasingly recognizing the impor- tance of climate change. As a result, the world community has never been in a better position to create a com- prehensive, effective new path for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing for energy security and sup- porting economic prosperity. December’s constructive United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change discussions in Bali marked the beginning of a process toward creating a post-2012 arrange- ment on climate change, and the United States is already engaging enthusiastically and constructively in this important work. We worked tirelessly in Bali with both developed and developing coun- tries to reach consensus, and we wel- come the resulting roadmap. We view it as a critically important first step in the process of achieving a global, comprehensive and effective approach to climate change. We had three objectives going into the talks: to launch the negotiation process; to reach consensus on a com- prehensive roadmap that would in- clude meaningful actions, not only by developed countries but also by de- veloping ones; and to agree on a sch- edule for the negotiations. And on each of these objectives, I am confi- dent we succeeded. Bali also reflected the importance of establishing a long-term global goal for emissions reductions, by develop- ing and financing clean technologies, assisting countries in adaptation and addressing deforestation. For the first time in such negotia- tions, the developing world agreed to consider, in the words of the roadmap, “measurable, reportable and verifi- able” actions to mitigate climate change. It was in large measure due to the efforts of the United States that developing countries made this unprecedented commitment in Bali. Overall, the results in Bali were a win, not just for the United States, but for all participants committed to seriously addressing the challenges of climate change. In the months ahead, we are firmly committed to advancing the United Nations-sponsored negotia- tions, including a serious and detailed contribution to those negotiations through the president’s Major Econo- mies Process by this summer. Leading by Example The United States is already lead- ing by example, with ambitious nation- al targets for reducing emissions. We have set mandatory targets in such sectors as fuel efficiency and appli- ance efficiency. In addition, Pres. Bush has signed the Energy Inde- pendence and Security Act of 2007. The bill responds to the challenge of the “Twenty in Ten” initiative, which he announced in January 2007, to re- duce gasoline use by 20 percent. The new law requires fuel produc- ers to use at least 36 billion gallons of biofuel in 2022 and sets a national fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gal- lon by 2020, which will increase fuel economy standards by 40 percent and save billions of gallons of fuel. The energy bill demonstrates U.S. leader- ship in setting robust targets and will produce dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. As the international community develops a new post-2012 approach, the United States will continue to highlight several key elements that must be addressed in any successful climate arrangement: comprehen- siveness, respect for diverse circum- stances and efforts, the accelerated uptake of clean technologies, sustain- Toward a Post-2012 Approach to Climate Change B Y P AULA J. D OBRIANSKY I N R ESPONSE The United States is committed to working hard over the next two years to ensure that the Bali roadmap is fully implemented. 18 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 0 8