by Rebecca Lefton
In a visit to Sweden this week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for greater international cooperation to address climate change.
“We do need more action in the fight against climate change. We need real-world solutions and we need results,” said Clinton in a meeting with environmental officials.
Secretary Clinton and Sweden’s Minister for the Environment, Lena Ek, announced the launch of a global awareness campaign as part of the Clean Air and Climate Coalition to spread information about the potential for cost-effective solutions to combat short-lived climate pollutants (slcp’s). Short-lived climate pollutants — such as black carbon, soot, methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and tropospheric ozone — are shorter lived than carbon dioxide, but much more potent. They contribute to more than 30 percent of current global warming and limiting them can significantly reduce temperatures.
Many of the solutions to avoid SLCP’s already exist but are not being utilized. The coalition is working with industry to share solutions and spread information on the benefits of action. Addressing the problem isn’t just good for climate — it’s good for human health. Action to reduce slcp emissions can save 2.5 million lives a year by improving air quality, and increase crop yields by 30 to 135 million metric tons by 2030.
Minister Ek pointed out that there are also important social benefits, as solutions for global warming also offer opportunities to promote gender equality and women’s rights.
The Clean Air and Climate Coalition was launched in February, 2012. The Coalition got a boost last month when G8 members joined at Camp David, bringing the membership to 16 countries plus the European Commission, United Nations Environment Program, and the World Bank.
Both Clinton and Ek affirmed commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But Clinton said these ongoing (and complicated) efforts should not prevent action now to reduce slcp’s.
“While we continue to work on bringing down carbon dioxide emissions and finalizing an international agreement, let’s also deliver a blow to methane, black carbon, and HFCs. We are poised to do both, and we should,” said Clinton.
At the upcoming Rio +20 UN Earth Summit, the coalition will announce plans to engage with oil and gas companies to cut methane through waste-reduction partnerships with cities.
Rebecca Lefton is a Policy Analyst with the International Policy Team at the Center for American Progress.
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Language Intelligence: Lessons on persuasion from Jesus, Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Lady Gaga
But then Sec. Clinton remembered the type of action on climate change the U.S. State department accomplished over these last 3 years:
The U.S. State Department chose “Cardno Entrix”, a primary consulting firm for TransCanada (Keystone XL owners), to write the two environmental impact statements on the Keystone XL extension for the State Department. Cardno Entrix’s biggest clients are TransCanada and BP.
In 2009, under Hillary’s leadership, the State Department’s then-energy envoy, David Goldwyn, as having “alleviated” Canadian officials’ concerns about getting their crude into the U.S. It also said he had instructed them in improving “oil sands messaging,” including “increasing visibility and accessibility of more positive news stories.”
In September 2011 Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told a San Francisco audience that her department was “inclined” to “sign off” on the Keystone XL permit. Of course she was…
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/13/nation/la-na-pipeline-keystone-20110713
“We need results…” indeed Secretary Clinton…and its obvious what kind of climate change results you’ve been inclined to give us over these last 3 years.
Liar. She just went to the Arctic to assert US participation in extracting the resources of a melting Arctic this administration has done nothing to address, even now as Shell prepares to drill there next month because of this government’s approval. Stop playing games here.
She could sleep, comfortably, on a corkscrew.
Oil to stay untapped in Ecuadorian Amazon
SOURCE
Australian National University
In a world first, about 850 million barrels of oil, approximately 20% of Ecuador’s reserves, will remain in the ground to avoid harming the local environment and Indigenous groups, in exchange for help with the local economy.
Until the USA stages a ‘colour revolution’ and installs a more ‘reasonable’ stooge.
Hollow words.
I’m glad most of the comment are providing the ‘truth’ on this visit!
Clinton’s words were just window dressing for her real reason for visiting. As was mentioned above, she was there to further the US’s interests in developing all those resources in the arctic.
The effort to address the short-lived pollutants does nothing for the ocean acidification problem. It’s all about CO2. That’s the heart of it. Though it does have positive aspects, it’s a distraction from the really serious changes we need to make.
While she is at it, she might lend moral support to efforts in this country to support a carbon fee and dividend (HR3242) costing the taxpayer nothing, via the dividend, and shifting the market to renewables.
AGW is, after all, a major national security threat. So, it is her responsibility
Wow, I do not believe it. This is a first from the administration. Perhaps she will be in Rio for the UN conference on sustainable development. I realize that sounds funny since Brazil is destroying the Amazon Rain Forest.
Every bit helps. This is not window dressing.
Germany is implementing manure methane recapture to address the issue. When all 200.000 farms are converted by 2025- it will mean another 20.000.000 KWh going onto the grid.
Doing it European wide will further slash fossil co² emissions replacing it with bio waste co² emissions- creating the ecological balance.