Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
the Forum build on these efforts by launching a major initiative this year
focused on further accelerating efficiency gains in the buildings sector, which
accounts for approximately one-third of global carbon pollutions from the
energy sector.
Expanding Bilateral Cooperation with Major Emerging Economies
: From
the outset, the Obama Administration has sought to intensify bilateral climate
cooperation with key major emerging economies, through initiatives like the
U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center, the U.S.-India Partnership to
Advance Clean Energy, and the Strategic Energy Dialogue with Brazil.
We will be building on these successes and finding new areas for
cooperation in the second term, and we are already making progress: Just this
month, President Obama and President Xi Jinping of China reached an historic
agreement at their first summit to work to use the expertise and institutions of
the Montreal Protocol to phase down the consumption and production of
HFCs, a highly potent greenhouse gas. The impact of phasing out HFCs by
2050 would be equivalent to the elimination of two years' worth of greenhouse
gas emissions from all sources.
Combatting Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
: Pollutants such as methane,
black carbon, and many HFCs are relatively short-lived in the atmosphere,
but have more potent greenhouse effects than carbon dioxide. In February
2012, the United States launched the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to
Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollution, which has grown to include more than
30 country partners and other key partners such as the World Bank and the
U.N. Environment Programme. Major efforts include reducing methane and
black carbon from waste and landfills. We are also leading through the Global
Methane Initiative, which works with 42 partner countries and an extensive
network of over 1,100 private sector participants to reduce methane
emissions.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation:
Greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, agriculture, and other land use
constitute approximately one-third of global emissions. In some developing
countries, as much as 80 percent of these emissions come from the land sector.
To meet this challenge, the Obama Administration is working with partner
countries to put in place the systems and institutions necessary to significantly
reduce global land-use-related emissions, creating new models for rural
development that generate climate benefits, while conserving biodiversity,
protecting watersheds, and improving livelihoods.
In 2012 alone, the U.S. Agency for International Development's bilateral
and regional forestry programs contributed to reducing more than 140 million
