Media Release

EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

31 Loftus Street, Suva, Fiji.
Office of Public Affairs
Telephone: 3314 466
Fax: 3308 685

Opinion Editorial  September 25, 2009 

United States’ Efforts to Combat Climate Change in the Pacific

By Ambassador Steven McGann
United States Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu

On Tuesday, September 22nd, U.S. President Barack Obama addressed a special UN summit on climate change, where he called on world leaders to come together in pursuing policies that allow economies to grow without endangering our planet.  The nations of the world are working hard right now to negotiate a new international agreement to combat climate change.

No nation – regardless of size or wealth – can escape the impacts of climate change.  Threats like rising sea levels, more powerful storms and floods, and more frequent droughts know no borders.  All countries must work together to address climate change, and the time for action is now.

In his speech, President Obama recognized that the United States must be a leader in the global effort to combat climate change.  But he warned that we “cannot allow the old divisions that have characterized the climate debate for so many years to block our progress.”

The U. S. has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in history. The President’s economic stimulus package includes over $80 billion for clean energy – the largest-ever investment of its kind in the U.S.  Recently instituted vehicle standards will increase fuel economy and reduce emissions. And the President is supporting comprehensive domestic clean energy legislation to cut emissions 14 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. 

President Obama called these actions “a historic recognition on behalf of the American people and their government.”  He declared, “We understand the gravity of the climate threat.  We are determined to act.  And we will meet our responsibility to future generations.”

But action by the U.S. and other developed nations is not enough - the International Energy Agency estimates 97 percent of future emissions growth will come from the developing world.   As President Obama said, “We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together.  There's no other way.”

Developed countries need to reduce their emissions substantially by 2020 on an absolute basis, compared to a 2005 or 1990 baseline.  Major developing nations must take actions that will substantially reduce their emissions by 2020 on a relative basis, compared to their “business as usual” path. 

Other developing countries have a much different role to play. They should focus on preparing low-carbon growth plans – with financial and technical assistance – to guide their longer-term development path.

A new international climate agreement will benefit developing countries, by providing financial and technological assistance both to lower emissions and to help countries adapt to the impacts of climate change.  What’s more, the effort to build a clean energy global economy can provide significant opportunity, driving investment, economic growth and job creation.  And it can be a means to bring energy services to hundreds of millions of the world’s poor. 

Ultimately, a climate change agreement must be not just about limiting carbon emissions but about providing a safe pathway for sustainable development.  A new agreement must help answer the question of how the world can develop in the decades ahead without endangering our planet.   Clean energy development is the only sustainable way forward. To facilitate this path, countries with advanced capabilities must stand ready to develop and disseminate technologies to countries in need. With the right support, developing countries can leapfrog dirty phases of development to low-carbon technologies and clean energy opportunities.

American diplomatic missions around the world are leading our efforts to extend a helping hand in this regards in the regions and countries they are accredited. The U.S. Embassy in Suva serves Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu, and supports a Regional Environment Office with Pacific-wide areas of responsibility. Our current engagements in the Pacific region are vast and varied; from protecting the world’s largest marine habitats in partnership with our i-Kiribati friends, to developing the Coral Triangle Initiative which seeks to protect six million square kilometers of ocean from Indonesia to the Solomon Islands.

We’ve launched Climate Change Adaptation projects in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to strengthen the resilience of Pacific communities threatened by rising sea levels. We’re helping Island nations develop efficient technologies to achieve the maximum levels of renewable energy.

We’re actively supporting sustainable fishing in the Pacific through our engagement with the Forum Fisheries and have signed Shiprider agreements with some Pacific Island States to help them police their vast Exclusive Economic Zones. The United States and Pacific Island States continue to engage in significant scientific cooperation and coordination in numerous projects related to climate change. Information is shared freely with Pacific Island Governments and Regional Organizations, and plays an important role in understanding Global climate.

The U.S. is clear in its intent to secure a strong international agreement – an agreement that will, as President Obama stated, “allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet.” I am confident that together we can meet the climate change challenge.

##