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President's Council on Sustainable Development
730 Jackson Place, NW =95 Washington, DC 20503
Wednesday, November 26, 1997 Contact: Marty Spitzer, PCSD
202/408-5331
Donna Wise, WRI
202/662-3487
Lisa Cape, Interface
404/814-1669
U.S. Environmental and Business Leaders Agree on Climate Change Action;=09
President's Council on Sustainable Development Releases "Climate Princip=
les"
Washington, DC -- On the eve of international climate change negotiation=
s in
Kyoto, Japan, leaders of U.S. business, environmental, citizen and
governmental organizations today released a statement of principles agree=
ing
that climate change risks warrant early action.=20
"This consensus statement about climate policy is, as far as we are awar=
e,
the first such agreement," wrote business, environmental and government
leaders of the President's Council on Sustainable Development in a letter=
to
President Clinton accompanying the climate principles. "Leaders of major
environmental organizations, and automobile, oil, power and chemical
companies have listened thoughtfully to each other, and reached agreement=
."
The principles agreed to by the Climate Task Force of the President's
Council call for incentives for early action, international commitments,
accountability, flexibility, strong measures to encourage technology, and
fairness. Task Force members include business leaders from American Elec=
tric
Power, British Petroleum America, Dow Chemical, and General Motors; and
environmental organizations including, the Environmental Defense Fund, th=
e
Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Sierra Club.
Next week, the United States joins other nations in Kyoto, Japan, for a
United Nations Conference on Climate Change to negotiate a treaty to redu=
ce
greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.
Ray Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of the Interface Company, and Jona=
than
Lash, President of the World Resources Institute, are the Co-chairs of t=
he
President's Council. The President's Council on Sustainable Development,=
a
federal advisory committee with 30 members representing diverse leaders f=
rom
business, government, and community, environmental and native American
groups, was created by President Clinton in 1993 to advise him on sustain=
able
development and economic, environmental, and fairness issues.=20
A copy of the climate change principles, the letter to President Clinton
accompanying the principles, and the membership list of the Climate Task
Force are attached.
- 0 -=0C
November 26, 1997
The President=20
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
Ten months ago you asked the PCSD to advise you regarding climate policy
options. We began our consideration of the climate issue with an examina=
tion
of what is known and what is still uncertain about the nature and
consequences of human caused change in the global climate. We have sough=
t to
understand the economics of the issue, the technological challenges and
opportunities, and the links between the global, national and local actio=
ns
needed to begin to address the problem. As you have, we listened to a wi=
de
range of experts, and sought the views and ideas of citizens.
=20
One early result of the work of our Climate Task Force is agreement on a =
set
of climate policy principles calling for early action, international
commitments, accountability, flexibility, strong measures to encourage
technology, and fairness. This consensus statement about climate policy
from industry, environmental, citizen and state and local leaders is, as=
far
as we are aware, the first such agreement on climate policy. We will use
these principles to guide our own policy deliberations.
Although the debate over climate policy has grown angry and divisive as t=
he
Kyoto meeting approaches, in this case leaders of major environmental
organizations, and automobile, oil, power and chemical companies have
listened thoughtfully to each other, and reached agreement. The particip=
ants
have shown vision and courage in producing this statement which emphasize=
s
the need for action, and articulates the basis for effective and sensible
policies.
We hope you will find this statement useful, and that it will provide a
useful foundation both for the upcoming negotiations, and for future poli=
cy
discussions within the United States. We would welcome your response and
guidance as we continue carrying out your request to recommend climate po=
licy
options.
=20
Sincerely,
=20
_______________________ ________________________
Ray Anderson Jonathan Lash =09
Co-chair, PCSD Co-chair, PCSD =09
Chairman, Interface, Inc. Co-chair, Climate Task Force =09
President, World Resources Institute
_______________________ ________________________
Dr. James Baker Steve Percy
Co-chair, Climate Task Force Co-chair, Climate Task Force
Under Secretary for Oceans Chairman, CEO, BP America, Inc.
and Atmosphere
U.S. Department of Commerce=0CPRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPM=
ENT
CLIMATE TASK FORCE
Climate Change Principles
November 26, 1997
=09
1. The Need for Action
The risk of climate change caused by human actions and the potential for
serious impacts to nature and human well-being is of sufficient concern t=
hat
timely and effective actions should be taken to reduce those risks.
2. Incentives for Early Action
Greenhouse gases have atmospheric lifetimes ranging from decades to over=
a
century, and both the concentration and the rate of increase of these gas=
es
in the atmosphere are important factors in determining the risk of climat=
e
change. Therefore, policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and
other measures to protect the climate should include incentives for early
action. =20
3. Clear Commitments, Predictable Results & Flexible Implementation
Global climate change policies should be based on national commitments a=
nd
accountability to produce predictable results and should allow emissions
sources to select their own strategies. United States policies to address
climate change should be based on the integration of environmental, econo=
mic
and social goals.=20
4. Development and Dissemination of Improved Technologies
To protect the climate cost effectively, technology breakthroughs,
technology incentives, and the elimination of barriers for the deployment=
of
existing technologies are needed. Broad-based cooperative programs to
stimulate markets and develop and disseminate new and existing technology=
to
industrialized and developing countries, must be a high priority.
5. Fairness
Climate change is a global issue and requires a global response. The Un=
ited
States response should include policies that maintain and foster the
competitiveness of U.S. business, stimulate opportunities for all, and av=
oid
approaches that place an unreasonable burden on lower-income individuals,
particular sectors, or future generations.
=0C
CLIMATE TASK FORCE
MEMBERSHIP
John Adams
Natural Resources Defense Council
The Honorable Aida Alvarez
U.S. Small Business Administration
Ray C. Anderson, Council Co-Chair
Interface, Inc.
The Honorable Bruce Babbitt
U.S. Department of the Interior
The Honorable D. James Baker
(Task Force Co-Chair)=20
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Richard Barth
Novartis (Retired)
Scott Bernstein
Center for Neighborhood Technology
The Honorable Carol M. Browner
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
David T. Buzzelli
The Dow Chemical Company
Richard Clarke
Pacific Gas and Electric Company=20
The Honorable Andrew Cuomo
U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development
The Honorable William M. Daley
U.S. Department of Commerce
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley
Zero Population Growth
E. Linn Draper, Jr
American Electric Power
Norma Edwards, R.N., CBSE
WECO Cleaning Specialists, Inc.=20
Judith Espinosa
Alliance for Transportation Research Institute
Randall Franke
Commissioner for Marion County
The Honorable Daniel Glickman
U.S. Department of Agriculture
The Honorable Sherry Goodman
U.S. Department of Defense
Jay D. Hair
IUCN - World Conservation Union
Samuel C. Johnson
SC Johnson Wax
Fred Krupp
Environmental Defense Fund
Jonathan Lash, Council Co-Chair
(Task Force Co-Chair)=20
World Resources Institute
Kenneth Lay
Enron Corporation
Harry J. Pearce
General Motors Corporation
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