Environment

Bill Cline, Global Environment Team Leader, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service

SPECIAL WEBCAST! Five Myths and Misperceptions about the U.S. and Environmental Protection with Bill Cline, Global Environment Team Leader, U.S. Foreign Commercial Service

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

2008: 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) | Increasing U.S. Energy Security & Confronting Climate Change (State of the Union Fact Sheet, Jan 28, 2008) | Benefits Arise from Global Effort To Link Earth Observation Data (Jan 24, 2008)

An implementing arrangement intended to expand cooperation between the United States and the European Commission (EC) on environmental research was signed in Brussels, Belgium, in February 2007 by the EC’s director-general for research, Manuel Silva Rodriguez. The instrument, which had been signed January 31 in Washington by Stephen Johnson, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), helps implement a 1998 agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the United States and the European Union. The EC is the EU’s executive body. “The United States and Europe share in the commitment of being good global neighbors,” said EPA’s Johnson. “This agreement marks a new level of collaboration which will ensure our efforts to protect the environment and our citizens are supported by sound science.”

2007: U.S., EU Announce New Climate Initiatives for WTO (Nov 30, 2007) | High Stakes Accompany Global Climate Change (Nov 29, 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) | U.S. Hosts Major Economies Meeting on Energy, Climate Change (Sep 27, 2007) | U.S. Seeks Comprehensive International Approach to Aircraft Emissions Reductions (Sep 22, 2007) | Aviation Emissions Best Tackled Through Cooperation, Innovation (Aug 3, 2007) | U.S., EU Expanding Cooperation on Environmental Research (Feb 13, 2007) | U.S., EU Hold Brussels Workshop to Discuss Clean Air Issues (Feb 5-6, 2007)  (EPA's Meyers Power Point presentation)

The United States and Europe enjoy significant common ground on environmental policies, Jim Connaughton, chief environmental policy adviser to President Bush, said in an online discussion from Frankfurt, Germany, October 23, 2006. “We are working very closely with European policymakers on long-term technology opportunities such as fusion power, the next generation of nuclear power, and zero-emission hydrogen energy systems,” Connaughton said. Short-term policy goals include renewable energy systems, renewable fuels, efficiency of buildings and appliances, vehicle fuel efficiency, relief of traffic congestion in cities and promotion of sustainable practices in forestry and agriculture. Connaughton said specific U.S. policies and business leaders promote advancements in technology to meet mutual environmental goals, including commercializing “cellulosic ethanol,” a biofuel that can be made from a variety of crops, grasses and plant waste. “Business leaders in the United States are strongly committed to taking sensible action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Connaughton said. “This will occur through increased investment in the best of today’s technologies and new technologies that are more efficient.” The most successful strategies are those that reduce emissions at a substantial profit, according to Connaughton, and companies are saving money by redesigning processes and investing in more efficient technologies. 

2006: White House's Connaughton Discusses Environmental, Energy Issues in Germany (Oct 27, 2006) | U.S., European Environmental Policies Focus on Technology Advances (Oct 23, 2006) (Transcript of Online Discussion) | U.S.-EU Summit Declaration (Jun 21, 2006) | U.S. Environmental Agency Head To Visit Brussels, Paris (May 15, 2006)

At the June 2005 summit, the U.S. and the EU agreed on the importance of developing the clean and affordable energy technologies that will help developing nations meet their energy needs, grow their economies and improve their quality of life, while stemming deforestation and the production of greenhouse gases. We will continue to improve and deploy the current generation of lower-emission technologies - including civilian nuclear power where appropriate - and cleaner, more efficient fossil fuel energy sources.

2005: G8 Supports Development of Warning Systems for Natural Hazards (Jul 8, 2005) | U.S., EU Discuss Energy Security, Economic Growth, Environment (Jun 20, 2005) | Commerce's Gutierrez Presents U.S. Earth Observation System (Feb 16, 2005) | U.S. Official Previews Global Earth Observation Meeting (Feb 4, 2005)

2004: Montreal Protocol Parties OK Limited Methyl Bromide Production (Nov 29, 2004) | Fewer Future Frosts to Occur in Europe, North America (Aug 30, 2004) | EPA Web Site Showcases International Environmental Best Practices (Aug 11, 2004) | Justice's Sansonetti on Enforcing Environmental Law (Jun 29, 2004) | Intl. Collaborators to Launch North Atlantic Air Quality Study (Jun 28, 2004) | U.S Working with World to Preserve Environment, Official Says (Mar 2, 2004) | U.S. Mission Statement on Commitment to Biodiversity (Feb 12, 2004)