Federal Environment Minister holds talks in Washington
Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel will visit Washington for five days of political talks starting tomorrow. During his stay in the US capital, he will meet representatives of the US Government, members of the Senate and US House of Representatives, the business community and think-tanks. On Thursday and Friday, Minister Gabriel will attend a climate conference in Washington, hosted by President George W. Bush. The Meeting of Major Economies on Energy Security and Climate Change will bring together high-ranking representatives of the sixteen countries with the highest greenhouse gas emissions. From tomorrow, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel will also be visiting the US to attend the UN's high-level event on climate change at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Federal Environment Minister Gabriel explains: "The international community is currently working intensively to prepare the important UN Climate Change Conference in Bali in December. This shows that climate change, as a major challenge facing humankind, is high up on the international agenda. The world knows that the time is ripe to negotiate an enhanced climate agreement. The US is an important partner here. As the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the US must be on board in a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol." The first Kyoto commitment period ends in 2012.
So far, the US has rejected the Kyoto Protocol and any binding commitments on climate change. Nonetheless, some movement can now be observed in the US position, especially in Congress, the federal states and the business community. President Bush's invitation to the Meeting of Major Economies is further evidence of this shift. A number of items of progressive climate legislation are currently being debated in Congress, and the American states are increasingly forming climate alliances with a view to establishing emissions trading schemes on the European model. Numerous companies are now calling for nationwide regulations to cap emissions. According to Minister Gabriel, "These are positive developments. I am convinced that the US will face up to its climate responsibilities. I will be encouraging this during my talks in Washington and pointing to the example of Germany to show that a high level of climate protection is compatible with economic growth."