WASHINGTON, DC – The House Foreign Affairs Committee today approved bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Congressman Bill Delahunt that requires the Bush administration to participate in international global warming negotiations aimed at setting binding targets to limit heat-trapping emissions

“For too long, the United States has sat on the sidelines while the rest of the world wrestles with global warming,” Delahunt said.  “The world wide consensus that is needed to effectively respond to this crisis will not come about unless the United States plays a constructive leadership role.”  

The International Climate Change Re-engagement Act (H.R. 2420), emphasizes that climate change can only be alleviated by a coordinated global response that reduces global greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere. It mandates that the United States take a leadership role in reaching a global agreement that will include binding emissions standards from other nations including commitments from all of the major emitters such as China, India and Brazil. This legislation stipulates that the United States must participate in a major diplomatic push this year toward reaching a consensus. 

Under the Bush Administration, the United States has been represented at key international meetings on climate change by low level officials. In order to secure binding commitments from other nations around the world, this legislation will require that senior diplomats be present at these critical meetings with the objective of taking a leadership role in crafting global climate change policy.  The proposal also creates a new position within the Department of State, the Ambassador at Large for Global Climate Change, who will be responsible for advancing US goals with respect to reducing the global emission of greenhouse gases.  

The legislation creates new energy export policy and assistance programs to promote clean-energy production in even the poorest countries.  It allocates money to the Agency for International Development (AID) to work with developing nations to support policies and programs that encourage energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies. The bill would also establish an “International Clean Energy Foundation” to focus directly on reducing global greenhouse gases by promoting projects outside of the United States that serve as models on how to reduce emissions.

The next step for this legislation will be consideration before the full House of Representatives as part of a comprehensive climate change legislative package that Speaker Pelosi has asked all House committees to participate in crafting.

To view a summary of the International Climate Change Re-engagement Act, please click here.

 

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