Brussels, 18/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - A new window of opportunity opened in international climate change negotiations with the election of Barack Obama, marking “a change in leadership and a change in commitment,” with a President who wants to work with the international community, said a US diplomat in Brussels on 16 March.
The EU ministerial troika, comprising European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, President in office of the Environment Council Martin Bursik and Swedish Minister Andreas Carlgren, who will pick up the reins in July, currently in Washington for climate talks to prepare for the UN conference to be held in Copenhagen (see EUROPE 9861), set out for its American hosts the hopes it placed on the change of direction announced by the new US administration and its climate team, “the first of its kind to have been set up, testifying to the importance now given to this issue,” said the same diplomat.
The troika stressed the need for the United States, which, like the EU, wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% compared with 1990 levels, to commit itself to a medium-term (2020) reduction target. That, the EU says, is the critical point that would bring the emerging economies and developing countries on board for the conclusion of an ambitious global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December 2009. The European troika also indicated the importance it attaches to the setting up of a world carbon market and its determination to push all industrialised countries to link together their emissions trading schemes by 2015, with emerging countries like China and India joining by 2020.
The message was delivered in meetings with Carol Browner, Assistant to President Obama for Energy and Climate Change, Lisa Jackson, Head of the Environment Agency, Todd Stern, US Special Envoy for Climate Change, and Senator John Kerry. The European troika also had the opportunity to speak to a wider public at two conferences organised by NGOs (the first, sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Heinrich Böll Stiftung, “On the road to Copenhagen: Transatlantic Perspectives on a New Climate Change Agreement”, and the second, held under the aegis of the Pew Center on “European Climate Action”).
“Naturally, the USA is our most significant partner in negotiations. After the election of President Obama, the time has finally come to address topics such as world climate protection. Obama wants to become a global leader in this area and the EU, which is considered to be the current leader, is in search of a long-term partner,” said Bursik, adding, “We will see how the new President succeeds in fulfilling the long-term plans of US transition towards a low-carbon economy, which includes investment of $150 billion in research and development of new, clean, low-carbon technologies in the next decade. The USA is also devising a federal system of emission trading”. While the Americans have promised a return to 1990 emissions levels by 2020, this target is only a 14% reduction on current emissions levels, far below the 30% the EU would like to see for all industrialised countries. “We would prefer to hear a more ambitious proposal. Reducing emissions to the 1990 level is not an adequate goal considering the US is the second largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world,” Bursik said.
The Americans, diplomatic sources have revealed, highlighted that the new US climate policy, as announced by Todd Stern in Washington on 3 March is “guided by science and pragmatism, that is, it is achievable” and this medium-term target is “realistic”.
Stavros Dimas, speaking at the Pew Center, called for the United States to move swiftly to a cap and trade system. “It is the engine that will drive the carbon market” in the OECD countries, he said. US legislation on a system similar to the European ETS is being prepared, but it is not known if Congress will have adopted it by the time of the Copenhagen conference on December. This federal system will link up the local emissions markets set up by a number of states, such as California and New York. The representatives of the Obama administration stated that this legislative proposal, if it is adopted, will have a significant influence on the US position in negotiations. (A.N./transl.rt)