Planning a more sustainable future

This month's UN climate change conference in Poznan, Poland, marks the mid-way point of the Action Plan agreed at Bali in December 2007 by parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We believe it will be a key step towards the shared goal of an environmentally-effective, economically-sustainable global climate architecture, with all major economies as participants.

The United States is committed to taking a leadership role in developing a new global response to climate change. The past year has been a productive one, featuring three interim meetings under the UN Framework Convention and an unprecedented Major Economies Leaders Meeting on Energy Security and Climate Change, featuring heads of state and government from 17 economies, representing about 80 per cent of the world's energy use, economic output and greenhouse gas emissions.

In Poznan, our highest priority will be to build on these discussions and set the stage for an effective outcome in 2009. We hope that Poznan can produce a deeper understanding of priorities and expectations. Concretely, we hope to agree to a practical work plan that will guide the transition into a negotiating agenda for the road to an agreement at Copenhagen in December 2009. We look forward to working with our European partners in this vital endeavour.

The questions under discussion at Poznan highlight the importance of research and development in clean energy technology. To effectively address climate change, we need nothing less than a clean technology revolution. The US has been working with Europe and others around the world to increase trade and investment in clean energy technologies. Cooperation between the US and Europe is essential for reaching our goals. For example, we are working with the European Union to develop carbon capture and storage technology.

Here in Malta, the US Embassy has engaged with the Maltese government and members of the public by sponsoring a number of academic exchanges and digital videoconferences with US climate change experts. We're also leading by example in the construction of our new embassy building in Ta' Qali, which will be an internationally-certified "green" building. The latest strategies for sustainable site development, water conservation, energy savings, materials selection and indoor environmental quality have all been incorporated into the building design in order to combine environmentally-sound practices with economic efficiency. In an effort to diminish the embassy's impact on the environment, the building will include energy-efficient windows, sun deflection details and a water-catchment system, among other features.

A green technology revolution demands government incentives, public-private partnerships and a positive investment climate to attract private investment capital, the source of so much innovation in high technology.

Since 2001, the US has spent $45 billion on programmes to advance science and technology related to climate change. In the last eight years, the US government has spent more than $18 billion at home to research, develop and promote clean energy sources. In addition, we have set aside $67.5 billion in loan guarantee authority available for technologies that promote the deployment of clean energy technology, including clean coal, renewable, nuclear energy, grid and other advanced technologies.

One example of public-private partnership in the US is the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Climate Leaders programme. Launched in 2002, Climate Leaders is an industry-government partnership that has provided guidance and recognition to American companies to help them develop and implement comprehensive climate change strategies. EPA works with over 230 leading corporations to lower their greenhouse gas emissions through innovative technology and efficiency solutions such as powering factories with landfill gas and the installation of roof-top solar panels.

US states and localities are also playing a key role in clean technology investment. As of the end of last year, Texas, California, Minnesota, Iowa and Washington states had installed 10,530 megawatts of wind power generating capacity, which was 11 per cent of total global wind power generation capacity.

Between 2000 and 2006, the US economy added more than the GDP of France ($1.5 trillion) and the population grew by more than the combination of Austria and Sweden (17 million people) while net US greenhouse gas emissions decreased by three per cent.

As demonstrated by our commitment to both domestic investment and cooperation with international partners, technology is an essential tool for responding to the challenge of global climate change in a way that can help, not hurt, our economies, despite the current economic challenges that we all face.

As the world gathers in Poznan, we look forward to establishing an objective work plan that will inform the negotiations for an environmentally effective, economically-sustainable agreement next year in Copenhagen.

The author is the US Ambassador to Malta.