US looks beyond Bush on climate change[fr][de] 

• Sea change

US panellists spoke of a flurry of activity related to climate change. Since January 2007 alone, nine climate-change bills have been proposed and 75 climate-change related hearings have taken place in Washington DC.  

Heightened attention at US federal level is reflected at state level and in business circles. Coast-to-coast, state governors are pledging support for a carbon-emissions cap-and-trade system, with California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the way. The US Climate Action Partnership , which includes major firms such as DuPont and Shell, is emerging as an increasingly important business pressure group, pushing for harmonised federal legislation on climate change.

• Towards Post-Kyoto
  

The American panellists agreed that while the US must show leadership and play a central role in some sort of global effort to address climate change, any such effort must be "flexible" with respect to timing and the type of commitments made. Speaking in reference to President Bush's commitments made at the G8 summit, panellists acknowledged that an agreement cannot be voluntary and must include binding measures in order to establish trust and confidence in the system. 

The panellists also reminded the European audience, however, that Europe must have a "realistic" view of what is "politically possible" in the US, and that the most ambitious bill currently circulating in Congress calls for emissions to be reduced to 1990 levels by 2020.

• EU Emissions trading

The US side generally applauded Europe's efforts to tackle climate change, but warned that the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is often portrayed as a failure in Washington and information about EU ETS is misused for political purposes. The panellists emphasised that Americans need precise information about EU ETS in order to prevent such misuse, and to encourage the creation of a similar system in the US.

Frank Loy, former under-secretary for global affairs in the US State Department, cited American individualism versus European collectivism, urging the European audience to consider that Americans are generally more "suspicious of regulatory efforts" than Europeans, and that the difference in mentalities must be taken into account when comparing climate-change efforts on either side of the Atlantic. 

In reference to a global deal on reducing emissions, MEP Wijkmans argued that China and India require technology transfer and co-operation in order to be able to reduce emissions without compromising efforts to grow their economies and eradicate poverty. Loy responded that he and most Americans agreed, but that "the Chinas and Indias of the world" must nevertheless commit to emissions reductions in the future, regardless of the fact that developed countries are responsible for the majority of CO2 emissions during recent decades.  

Retired General  Charles F. 'Chuck' Wald, who made no effort to hide his frustration with the current Bush administration, spoke of the importance of a more "multilateral" approach for the US in the 21st century and for the need to "play with partners a lot better". Wald also offered a military and security perspective on climate change, arguing that climate-change mitigation and adaptation efforts should play a central part in the strategic and national security planning of the US.

Speaking for the Commission and in reference to EU ETS, Jos Delbeke of DG Environment agreed that a stable carbon price is crucial for the proper functioning of the system, and that this would be achieved during the period 2008-2012. Mr Delbeke cited forward price predictions of 25 euro per tonne of carbon. 

All speakers agreed that real US leadership on climate change cannot be expected until the end of Bush's term, after 2008.