Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic
development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
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Although the United States signed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to the
UNFCCC, the agreement was never submitted to the Senate for consent to its
ratification.
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Congressional opposition was strong to a treaty, in part because
it did not include all major emitting countries, such as China, and that it would
impose costs on the U.S. economy.
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The United States has no quantitative,
legally binding obligations to reduce its GHG emissions under the UNFCCC,
although it is currently negotiating towards an agreement to abate GHG
emissions globally, due in 2015 and to take effect by 2020.
After President Obama took office, in conjunction with the 2009
Copenhagen Accord, he pledged a policy to reduce U.S. GHG emissions by
17% compared with 2005 levels. Without rules to reduce power plant
emissions, the United States would not be on track to meet this pledge, a fact
that increases pressure and arguably undermines U.S. leadership (though not
necessarily leverage) in the international negotiations.
New in the President's announcement is a call to end U.S. support for
public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas. This would exempt
the most efficient coal technology available in the world's poorest countries
and power plants that employ emerging carbon capture and sequestration
technology.
The President's Climate Action Plan includes several efforts in motion
prior to the June 2013 announcements. Among the bilateral and multilateral
programs are:
A ―major initiative‖ in 2013 in conjunction with the Major Economies
Forum on Energy and Climate
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to promote energy efficiency gains in
buildings.
Bilateral cooperation with key major emerging economies. Existing
initiatives include the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, the
U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy, and the Strategic
Energy Dialogue with Brazil. The President cites as an example, an
agreement between the United States and China in June 2013 to phase
down production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFC)
globally under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the
Ozone Layer.
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A call to phase out subsidies for fossil fuels globally. G-20 leaders
committed to this goal in 2009. President Obama proposes in his
