Climate Change

An iceberg floats in the bay in Kulusuk, Greenland, near the arctic circle. (© AP Images)

President Bush praised the major world economies for making significant progress during the final day at the Group of Eight forum by agreeing that there must be a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by developed and developing nations if there is to be any hope of reining in global warming by mid-century. "In order to address climate change, all major economies must be at the table. And that's what took place today," Bush said as the G8 closed its three-day forum on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido July 9. "The G8 expressed our desire to have a significant reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. We made it clear and the other nations agreed that they must also participate in an ambitious goal." In a declaration issued July 8, the G8 agreed that developed and developing economies must try to achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and noted that the G8 nations alone cannot achieve that goal. The G8 nations are Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. The president of the European Union also meets with the G8 countries. The G8 met with leaders from major economies Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea to take up climate-change issues.

President Bush is calling for a technology-based policy to slow greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming. His remarks came on the eve of the Paris “Major Economies Meeting,” April 17-18 where 16 leading nations will discuss solutions to climate change. The meetings were initiated by Bush in September 2007 to stimulate international cooperation. “Today, I am announcing a new national goal: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025,” he said April 16. Bush cited recent federal legislation that mandates a fuel-economy standard for passenger vehicles of 14.7 kilometers per liter (35 miles per gallon) by 2020 and requires substantially increased production of renewable fuels by 2022. “This should provide an incentive for shifting to a new generation of fuels like cellulosic ethanol that will reduce concerns about food prices and the environment,” he said.

Dan Price, co-chairman of the Transatlantic Economic Council (left) and James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Photo: John Self, U.S. Embassy Berlin2008: White House Briefing on Meeting of Major Economies (Jul 9, 2008) | G8 Supports Cutting Greenhouse Emissions 50 Percent by 2050 (Jul 8, 2008) | U.S. Official Comments on Environmentally Sustainable Climate Deal (Jun 20, 2008) | International Satellite Will Monitor Global Sea-level Rise (May 22, 2008) | State's Graffy: Trade, Climate Change and Soft Power -- Does America Have Friends in Europe? | Webcast: Five Myths and Misperceptions about the U.S. and Environmental Protection with Bill Cline, Global Environment Team Leader, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service (Apr 28, 2008) | Press Briefing on Major Economies Meeting by White House's Connaughton (Apr 18, 2008) | Technology-based Policy on Climate Change Urged by Bush (Apr 16, 2008) (Speech; Fact Sheet)| Special Webcast! The U.S. and Climate Change: Straight Talk with Special Envoy Gray (Apr 15, 2008) | White House Press Briefing by Dana Perino (Apr 14, 2008) | EU and U.S. Advance Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development Dialogue (Mar 7, 2008) | Renewable Resources Are Rising Stars (Mar 5, 2008) (Bush Remarks) | Fact Sheet: Investment in Renewable and Alternative Energy Technologies | Pictures/Summaries | State's Negroponte Discusses Energy Security, Climate at Renewables Conference (Mar 4, 2008) | Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (Mar 4-6, 2008) (Media Registration) | U.S. Officials Discuss Transatlantic Economic Ties, Climate Change in Berlin (Feb 26, 2008) | California Sets Ambitious Renewable Energy Goals (Feb 8, 2008) | Special Envoy Gray Discusses Major Economies Meeting on Climate Change (Feb 1, 2008) | State's Volker on the Transatlantic Energy Challenge -- Security, Prosperity, Climate (Feb 1, 2008) | Increasing U.S. Energy Security and Confronting Climate Change (State of the Union Fact Sheet, Jan 28, 2008) | Briefing on the Second Major Economies Meeting (Jan 25, 2008) | State's Volker Discusses a New Framework for Combating Climate Change (Jan 24, 2008) | White House's Connaughton Reviews International Climate Change Negotiations in Senate Hearing (Jan 24, 2008)

U.S. and European speakers participate in a September 19 debate on the environment cosponsored by CafeBabel, BrusselsOn September 19, 2007, the U.S. Mission to the EU cosponsored an open forum debate with CaféBabel, a multilingual European web magazine, about climate change initiatives and challenges in Europe, California, and elsewhere. Catherine Witherspoon, former Executive Director of the California Air Resources Board, Jos Delbeke, Director for climate change and air at the European Commission, and Matthias Duwe, Director of Climate Action Network, an NGO, engaged over 70 young European professionals in an open and lively dialogue that took place in the historic Halles Saint Gery, situated in the oldest district in Brussels. (Video of event)

President Bush and German Chancellor Merkel hold a joint press conference at the White House on Janauary 4, 2007. White House photo by Paul Morse.

2007: White House Statement on the Bali Climate Change Conference (Dec 15, 2007) | Connaughton, Dobriansky Brief on U.N. Convention on Climate Change (Dec 6, 2007) | U.S., EU Announce New Climate Initiatives for WTO (Nov 30, 2007) | High Stakes Accompany Global Climate Change (Nov 29, 2007) | Statement by President Bush on Energy Security and Climate Change (Nov 26, 2007) | U.S. Sends High-Level Delegation to Bali Climate Change Conference (Nov 26, 2007) | State's Dobriansky Reviews U.S. Climate Policy Ahead of Bali Meeting (Nov 13, 2007) (Video of Statement) | U.S. Agency Funds Climate Change Projects in Nine Nations (Oct 1, 2007) | President Bush Participates in Major Economies Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change (Oct 1, 2007) | Rice Addresses Leaders on Energy Security, Climate Change (Sep 28, 2007) | Fact Sheet (Sep 28, 2007) | International Partners Tackle Greenhouse Gas Methane (Aug 23, 2007) | U.S. Climate Change Conference To Focus on Commonalities, Metrics (Aug 23, 2007) | U.S. Seeks Comprehensive International Approach to Aircraft Emissions Reductions (Sep 22, 2007) | Aviation Emissions Best Tackled Through Cooperation, Innovation (Aug 3, 2007) | G8 Summit Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Efficiency (Jun 8, 2007) | G8 Countries Agree on Process To Address Global Warming (Jun 7, 2007) | G8 Countries Building Consensus on Addressing Climate Change (Jun 6, 2007) | Bush Seeks New International Framework on Climate Change (May 31, 2007) | State's Volker: U.S., EU Both Committed to Addressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Apr 5, 2007) | Bush Optimistic on Achieving WTO Trade Deal (Jan 5, 2007)

U.S. Ambassador to the European Union C. Boyden Gray participated in the inaugural meeting of the U.S.-EU High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Sustainable Development in Helsinki, Finland, on October 24-25, 2006. The U.S. and the EU agreed at their June 2006 Summit in Vienna to hold this dialogue to build on existing transatlantic initiatives and further advance the G-8 Gleneagles Plan of Action for Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development, which was approved last year. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky (c.), Under Secretary David of Energy K. Garman (l.) and Finland's Minister of the Environment Jan-Erik Enestam (r.) during the press conference at the conclusion of the EU-U.S. meeting on energy, climate and sustainable development issues in Helsinki, Finland, on 25 October 2006. Photo: Finnish Prime Minister's Office/LehtikuvaAt the Helsinki meeting, EU and U.S. delegations highlighted the substantial and growing level of U.S.-European collaboration and explored areas for further work. Discussion topics included policies and measures to promote low greenhouse gas emission technologies; cleaner energy; cleaner and more efficient vehicles; and biodiversity loss. The EU and U.S., which will hold the next High-Level meeting in 2007 in the United States, agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to:

PDF version of 'Clean Energy Solutions'* Promote the commercial deployment of clean coal and carbon sequestration technologies, including through the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum;
* Promote energy efficiency, particularly in the transportation sector and for buildings and appliances;
* Enhance methane recovery including through the Methane-to-Markets Partnership;
* Research, develop and deploy second-generation biofuels;
* Overcome barriers to the use of renewable energy sources and biofuels, including through the development of international standards;
* Address global biodiversity loss through natural resource conservation and other joint efforts; and
* Enhance energy access for sustainable development.

2006: White House's Connaughton Discusses Environmental, Energy Issues in Germany (Oct 27, 2006) | EU, U.S. to Continue Climate, Energy and Sustainable Development Dialogue (Oct 25, 2006) (Finnish Presidency webpage) | U.S., European Environmental Policies Focus on Technology Advances (Oct 23, 2006) (Transcript of Online Discussion) | U.S., EC To Hold First High-Level Dialogue on Energy, Development, Climate (Oct 20, 2006) | U.S.-EU Summit Declaration (Jun 21, 2006)

The United States has “serious and fundamental questions” about the European Commission’s proposal to include airlines -- including foreign carriers -- in an emissions trading program aimed at cutting greenhouse gases, according to U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official Sharon Pinkerton. Pinkerton, the FAA’s assistant administrator for policy, planning and environment, spoke at a press roundtable in Brussels, Belgium, November 30, 2005, after meetings with European Commission officials. Under the EC system, which started in January 2005, some 11,500 companies such as power plants, steel mills and factories are assigned allowances that permit them to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide -- the main gas blamed by scientists for global climate change. Companies can buy or sell these annual allowances on an exchange. The EU has proposed including aircraft emissions in this trading scheme. “We think there are fundamental issues of science that still remain unresolved,” Pinkerton said. “Certainly the issue of whether or not U.S. airlines can be included in any European trading scheme raises legal issues that we think must be resolved.”

2005: United States Questions European Aviation Emission Trading Scheme (Dec 12, 2005) | In Wake of Bombings, G8 Leaders Agree on Aid, Climate Change (Jul 8, 2005) | Bush, Blair at G8 Call for Post-Kyoto Strategy on Climate Change (Jul 7, 2005) | Bush Urges Focus on New Technology in Climate Debate (Jul 5, 2005) | Bush Explains U.S. Positions on Kyoto Protocol, Iraq War (Jul 1, 2005) | U.S., Europe Share Goals on Climate Change, Energy Efficiency (Feb 23, 2005)

2004: U.S., European Labs to Study Plant Response to Climate Change (Sep 17, 2004)