New America's Climate Policy Team and 7th Generation Advisors were major organizers and sponsors of the Governors' Global Climate Summit held on November 18th and 19th, 2008, in Los Angeles.
President-Elect Obama speaks to the Governor’s Global Climate Summit
Twenty seven global leaders from six countries signed the Declaration
Governor Schwarzenegger joined governors from U.S. states, Brazil and Indonesia in signing a Memorandum of Understanding to reduce forestry-related greenhouse gas emissions at the Governors Global Climate Summit
Governor Schwarzenegger highlighted the joint Declaration signing at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit
Climate Policy Program Director and Cullman Senior Fellow Terry Tamminen addresses the audience at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit
The Summit was a tremendous success bringing together leaders from the U.S. states, China, India, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, the EU and other key regions of the world. President-Elect Obama used the Summit to make a detailed and firm commitment to greenhouse gas reductions in line with the 33 “climate leadership” states, proclaiming that he will reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them another 80 percent by 2050.
Historic Agreements Signed
This historic Summit provided the opportunity for states and provinces to reach specific agreements on climate solutions, essentially creating a blueprint for the next global agreement on climate change. This included a Memorandum of Understanding to Reduce Emissions from Deforestation (REDD) between California, Illinois and Wisconsin and states from Indonesia and Brazil.
This agreement is the first state-to-state, sub-national agreement of its kind. Deliverables under the agreement focus on improving forest carbon accounting methodologies and linking state greenhouse gas mitigation programs with REDD efforts in Brazil and Indonesia. The MOU commits the signatories to:
• Focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and land degradation while promoting sequestration of additional carbon through restoration and reforestation and improved forest management practices;
• Jointly develop rules to ensure that forest-sector emission reductions and sequestration could pass the strict criteria outlined in California's AB 32 Scoping Plan and potentially play a role in the Western Climate Initiative effort; and
• Develop a Joint Action Plan by early 2009 to clearly outline progress. This progress will be discussed at the 2009 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Summit culminated with the signing of a Summit Declaration which commits its signers to establish and expand cooperative actions throughout the world. Twenty-seven global leaders from six countries signed the 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. The Declaration focuses efforts on the largest emitting sectors including forestry, agriculture, cement, iron, aluminum, energy and transportation. It also facilitates the creation of a global carbon market system.
The Declaration also enumerates commitments to technology transfer, incentive programs, sharing of best practices and market- or non market-based programs. These types of strategies can be implemented immediately at little or no cost with significant 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 in particular can begin to employ measures that both save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Looking Forward
Perhaps the most important outcome of the Summit was that the world leaders committed to establish workgroups to develop individual sector-specific actions and position papers within the next six months on specific policies that will advance United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international negotiations toward the next global climate agreement. The New America Foundation Climate Policy Program has been asked by the world leaders, including the new Obama Administration, to facilitate the successful completion of these efforts. In addition, India will host a follow up to the Summit in February 2009 and China will host a subsequent event in June 2009 to benchmark and announce progress on Summit goals and to add new members to this “alliance” before the 2009 UNFCCC Copenhagen meeting. We will be involved in these efforts as well to ensure that strong policies are incorporated into the next global agreement - - and that the world reaches an agreement commensurate with the climate change threats we face.
