The Global Climate Coalition's 21st Century Climate Action Agenda The Global Climate Coalition believes that climate change is a long-term, global issue, and therefore policies to address climate concerns must also be designed for the long-term by all nations. The GCC believes that it is imperative that climate policies focus on responsible voluntary actions, including further research, innovation and deployment of current and potential future technologies in developed and developing nations to address concerns about the climate. Unrealistic targets and timetables, such as those called for under the Kyoto Protocol, are not achievable without severely harming the U.S. economy and all American families, workers, seniors and children. A new approach to climate policy is needed. The 21st Century Climate Action Agenda is intended to serve as a living document to help guide the Global Climate Coalition in its continuing partnerships with policy makers in the international community, in the Congress, and in the current and future Administrations to responsibly and effectively respond to global concerns about the climate. I. Membership Initiatives A. The GCC will continue to lead by example, aggressively promoting long-term voluntary actions by all to: 1. assess greenhouse gas emissions and sinks 2. encourage sensible actions aimed at limiting, avoiding or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions from all sources 3. research, develop and deploy cost-effective technologies that are environmentally sound and energy efficient B. The GCC will continue to encourage an open and factual public dialogue on the global climate issue, including: 1. the importance of efforts to reduce uncertainties about the climate system, and efforts to improve current climate models 2. the potential impact humans have upon the climate 3. the economic and societal implications of various policy options to respond to climate concerns. II. Government/Business/Public Partnerships A. Reaffirm the goals of key provisions embodied in the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that recognize the importance of: 1 2 3 4 economic growth in the development of new technologies to address climate issues and the encouragement of technology transfer voluntary actions and the need for climate policies to be cost-effective to ensure global benefits at the lowest possible cost the need to base climate policies on relevant scientific, technical and economic considerations that are continually reassessed and updated acknowledging that the climate is a global issue and therefore policies to address it must include participation by all countries B. A Comprehensive Dialogue with America; The GCC will work to pursue a comprehensive strategy with the Congress, the Administration and the public to promote a bipartisan approach to climate policies that encompasses the following principles: 1. Research, Development and Deployment of New Environmentally Sound and Energy Efficient Technologies: The GCC favors legislative approaches that lend important support to ongoing research and development efforts to produce new environmentally sound and energy efficient technologies to address greenhouse gas emissions concerns here at home and abroad. Global Climate Coalition • 1275 K Street, N.W., Suite 800 • Washington, D.C. 20005 • (202)628-3622 2 Continued Research for a Better Understanding of the Climate: The GCC favors forward-looking legislative approaches that can provide for expanded and coordinated research to better understand the world's climate. Such knowledge can provide an evolving framework for future climate policies that are practical and consistent with the improvements in the state of scientific understanding. 3. Federal Budgets that Reflect an Emphasis on Technological Developments, American Ingenuity and Creativity this Year and Beyond: The GCC is prepared to work with the Congress and the Administration to support federal budget proposals that sustain and improve upon existing policies that emphasize voluntary actions and continued advances in technologies to address greenhouse gas emissions issues. C. Comprehensive Oversight of Climate Policy Activities to Ensure that the American People Are Being Appropriately Served: 1. The United States Senate voted 95-0 its bipartisan opposition to any international climate change agreement that would harm the U.S. economy and that does not include participation from developing nations (S.Res. 98; 105th Congress — The Byrd/Hagel Resolution). The will of the American taxpayers, as expressed by the U.S. Senate, must be respected and federal funds therefor may not be used to implement the unratified Kyoto Protocol. 2. The Government of the United States of America has a critical responsibility to ensure that all assessment and scientific information it provides to the citizens is of the highest quality and subjected to scientific peer review that uses transparent processes and provides for independent replication. It is therefor critical that this responsibility be respected and observed. III. International Initiatives A. The GCC will continue working with policy makers in support of a balanced international approach to address concerns about the climate that does not harm the U.S. economy or hurt American workers and families. The GCC will continue offering assistance to international policy makers in the development of responsible climate policy initiatives that encourage technology transfer, investment, economic growth and improved environmental and living standards for all nations. B. Support for Flexible Market-Based Mechanism Concepts Consistent with the provisions of the Byrd/Hagel resolution (S.Res. 98) to prevent economic harm to American families and workers, the GCC will continue its strong support for the inclusion of the "flexible mechanism" concepts (Emissions Trading, Clean Development Mechanism, Joint Implementation, and Sinks) in international climate policy discussions. The GCC will also continue to stand behind U.S. government support for unrestricted application of these essential mechanisms. C. Participation by All Nations The GCC acknowledges the expressed will of the American people through S. Res. 98 (105th Congress). The GCC further agrees with the Senate that no related international obligation should be entered into absent specific scheduled commitments for emissions reductions from "developing countries," and absent a detailed accounting of the economic costs to the citizens of the United States of America. D. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) GCC members will continue to participate in IPCC meetings, workshops, as lead authors and expert reviewers of IPCC documents to remain constructively engaged in the important task of gaining a better understanding of the climate system and other issues related to potential climate change.