During a meeting for industry groups on Tuesday, Jim Connaughton, Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, discussed the U.S. goals for the Bali climate meetings, along with State Department Undersecretary Paula Dobriansky, and other members of President Bush’s negotiation team on climate.

At the September 2007 United Nations High-Level Event on Climate, the U.S. committed to participating in the UN process to advance negotiations. The U.S. believes that a successful outcome of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change meeting in Bali will be the establishment of a “Bali Roadmap” that will advance formal negotiations on an effective post-2012 framework.

Under the banner “environmentally effective, economically sound,” the U.S. will seek a shared commitment to a long term global goal for reducing emissions. The U.S. is open to the possibility of coupling a long term goal with specific national strategies, including binding market-based programs, and proposes global collaboration on technology development in key sectors, including energy efficiency, renewables, nuclear, and technologies to decrease emissions from coal, cars, and deforestation activities.

The U.S. position proposes to support the adoption of more efficient technologies, including through a global financing mechanism, coupled with the significant reduction and/or elimination of trade barriers for clean energy goods and services [free registration required].

Other topics to be considered during the Bali meetings are improving measurement and accounting systems to track progress, deforestation issues, including illegal taking of timber, and adaptation and technology access beyond the major economies.

For further information about this topic, please contact Akin Gump.