26 Global Leaders Sign Agreement to Partner on Climate Action Declaration will Inform and Advance Negotiations for Next Global Agreement on Climate Ch
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined 26 global leaders from six countries to sign a declaration acknowledging the threats of global warming on natural resources and economic prosperity, and calling on states and provinces to build and strengthen cooperative efforts to implement strategies that can immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in advance of the next global agreement on climate change.
"During this Summit, we had great discussions about the different responsibilities of developed and developing nations and how we must all work together for a healthier planet," Governor Schwarzenegger said. "Reversing the damage done by global warming is the great environmental challenge of the 21st Century, and I am proud that California and our co-host states are advancing the international policy debate through state and provincial partnerships. With this Summit declaration, we are establishing a framework to help negotiators next month in Poland and next year in Copenhagen as they draft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol."
The declaration focuses efforts on the largest emitting sectors including forestry, agriculture, cement, iron, aluminum, energy and transportation. Leaders at the Governors' Summit committed to establishing workgroups by sector to develop individual sector-specific position papers within the next six months on possible policy options to inform and advance United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international negotiations toward the next global climate agreement.
To help reduce staff costs, leaders agreed to utilize non-government organizations (NGO) such as The Climate Group, Environmental Defense Fund, International Council on Clean Transportation and Center for Clean Air Policy to provide staff support and specialized expertise to coordinate working groups and draft position papers. In many cases, these NGOs already are working on policy options to be considered by the global community and this helps relieve some of the fiscal burden from governments.
The declaration commits signers to establishing and expanding existing global networks to help develop additional cooperative actions throughout the world. Partnerships formed at the Summit will help expand opportunities among states and provinces that complement existing efforts to further explore specific mitigation and adaptation strategies.
In many cases, the collaborative partnerships forged by the declaration will lead to strategies that can immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in advance of a global agreement. The declaration calls out strategies such as technology transfer, incentive programs, sharing of best practices and market- or non market-based programs. These types of strategies can be implemented almost immediately at little or no cost with big economic and environmental results. By focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, zero and low-carbon electricity generation and fuels, improved mobility through better planning and transportation infrastructure, biological carbon sequestration, climate change impacts and adaptation, developing nations can begin to employ strategies that both save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The following global leaders signed today's declaration: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, USA; Governor Bill Ritter, Colorado, USA; Governor Charlie Crist, Florida; Governor Rod Blagojevich, Illinois, USA; Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas, USA; Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, USA; Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan, USA; Governor Martin O'Malley, Maryland, USA; Governor David Patterson, New York, USA; Governor Ted Kulongoski, Oregon, USA; Governor John Huntsman, Jr., Utah, USA; Governor Christine Gregoire, Washington, USA; Governor Jim Doyle, Wisconsin; Governor Antônio Waldez Góes da Silva, Amapá, Brazil; Governor Eduardo Braga, Amazonas, Brazil; Governor Blairo Maggi, Mato Grosso, Brazil; Governor Ana Júlia de Vasconcelos Carepa, Pará, Brazil; Premier Gordon Campbell, British Columbia, Canada; Premier Gary Doer, Manitoba, Canada; Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario, Canada; Premier Jean Cherest, Quebec, Canada; Governor Yusuf Irwandi, Aceh, Indonesia; Governor Fauzi Bowo, Jakarta, Indonesia; Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, Baja California, Mexico; Governor Eduardo Bours Castelo, Sonora, Mexico; and Chairman H.C. Sharatchandra, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, India. The following signed the declaration as honorary witnesses: Director General Gao Guangsheng, Department of Climate Change, National Development Reform Commission, People's Republic of China;
Andrea De Angelis, United Nations Development Programme, China (UNDP); Douglas Gardner, UNDP, China; and Dr. Adrían Fernández, National Institute of Ecology, United Mexican States.
The Governors' Summit helps fulfill the requirements of the state's global warming law, AB 32, to coordinate and collaborate with international governments to ensure compatibility, promote maximum environmental protection and promote economic stability. In addition, the proposed Scoping Plan, the state's blueprint to meet AB 32 reduction goals, addresses international efforts to encourage the spread of clean, low carbon technologies outside California.
Source: California Governor's Office
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