The Foreign Service Journal, March 2008

able forestry and land use, investment and support for climate adaptation. These components are so impor- tant to any agreement that I would like to discuss each in greater detail. Comprehensiveness The United States supports an approach on mitigation that reflects the need for concerted international action, with all parties contributing to shared global goals in ways that are environmentally effective and eco- nomically sustainable. No approach will be environmen- tally effective if it excludes a signifi- cant percentage of global emissions. Similarly, it will not be economically sustainable if it undermines individual countries’ efforts to develop and achieve higher standards of living for their citizens. But we firmly believe that economic development and re- duction of greenhouse gas emissions are not incompatible. Countries in the developing world are rightfully focused on economic growth and providing for the health, education and other needs of their cit- izens. Engaging them in a broader discussion that encompasses increas- ing economic development, strength- ening energy security, reducing air pollution, and addressing climate change is more effective and can lead to a common vision for concrete actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase economic development. Respect for Diverse Circumstances and Efforts To attract comprehensive global participation, a future climate ap- proach should respect the differing domestic circumstances of all coun- tries. A diversity of national plans is appropriate because of our differing national characteristics, including, but not limited to, economic, geographi- cal and constitutional systems. Di- verse approaches will help us to repli- cate success as we learn about each others’ efforts. Simply put, one size does not fit all. The United States has been stress- ing the importance of a diversity of approaches through the Major Econ- omies Process that Pres. Bush an- nounced in May 2007. The first Ma- jor Economies Meeting last Septem- ber was attended by the personal rep- resentatives of leaders from 17 major economies — representing roughly 80 percent of global economic output, energy use and greenhouse gas emis- sions — and the United Nations. In his speech during the MEM, Pres. Bush emphasized, among other things, that these countries would work within the U.N. process to strengthen programs addressing ener- gy efficiency and to advance the glob- al transfer and adoption of clean ener- gy technologies. Progress toward a global emissions reduction goal will be underpinned by midterm national targets and pro- grams. In addition, participants in the MEMwill work on sectoral approach- es to low-carbon power generation, transportation and land use, as well as on steps to disseminate technologies by creating an international clean energy fund and removing trade bar- riers. The president also proposed strengthening climate-related efforts that benefit all countries, including promoting adaptation to climate change, reversing deforestation and promoting clean energy technology. Accelerating the Uptake of Clean Technologies The world’s economy currently depends on carbon-intensive energy sources such as coal, petroleum and natural gas. Advanced low-carbon technologies are key to reducing emis- sions in a way that allows for continued economic growth. A new climate change arrangement needs to increase support for the development of trans- formational new technologies across a range of sectors. It also needs to speed the global adoption of proven, market-ready clean technologies. Thanks to our work as part of the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, the U.S. knows that the acceleration of clean energy use in the international arena is feasible, and that the potential ben- efits are considerable. Our flagship partnership in this field, the APP engages the governments and private sectors of Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea and the United States to facilitate deployment of, and investment in, clean energy technolo- gies. This innovative public-private partnership is achieving real results through activities in public-private sector task forces in eight energy- intensive sectors — aluminum, build- ings and appliances, cement, cleaner fossil energy, coal mining, power gen- eration and transmission, renewable energy and distributed generation, and steel. For example, the Aluminum Task Force is working to reduce highly potent greenhouse gases, such as per- fluorocarbons, through sharing best management practices. Participants will work to implement cost-effective, technically feasible opportunities to optimize anode effects in electrolytic cells, the primary source of PFCs dur- ing aluminum production. This is accomplished by providing relevant tools for developing PFC inventories and reporting regimes to facilitate the development and adoption of smel- ter-specific PFC-emission reduction strategies. This work has the potential to eliminate the equivalent of 15 to 20 million tons of CO 2 per year in China alone — the equivalent of the com- bined emissions from 20 medium- sized coal power plants. In addition, the Renewable Ener- gy and Distributed Generation Task M A R C H 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19 I N R E S P O N S E