The Environment among Friends: President Obama and Ambassador Kmiec Ask Malta to Join New International Accord on Climate Change

Douglas W. Kmiec

Last week U.S. President Barack Obama addressed a special UN summit on climate change, where he called on world leaders to come together in pursuing policies that allow economies to grow without endangering our planet.  The nations of the world are working hard right now to negotiate a new international agreement to combat climate change.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing our world today.  Threats like rising sea levels, more powerful storms and floods, and more frequent droughts know no borders.  These changes threaten not only the environment, but also security and stability.  All countries must work together to address climate change, and the time for action is now.

In his address, President Obama recognized that the United States must be a leader in the global effort to combat climate change.  But he warned that we “cannot allow the old divisions that have characterized the climate debate for so many years to block our progress.”

The U.S. has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in history.  The President’s economic stimulus package includes over $80 billion for clean energy – the largest-ever investment of its kind in the U.S.  Recently instituted vehicle standards will increase fuel economy and reduce emissions.  And the President is supporting comprehensive domestic clean energy legislation to cut emissions 14 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. 

Because no one nation can meet this challenge alone, the U.S. has also engaged with multiple allies and partners through the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate and key bilateral relationships.   

President Obama called these actions “a historic recognition on behalf of the American people and their government.”  He declared, “We understand the gravity of the climate threat.  We are determined to act.  And we will meet our responsibility to future generations.”

From an environmental perspective, the EU and U.S. climate packages are comparable and lead to emissions reductions that are consistent with the science.  Rather than debate the negligible differences between EU and U.S. policies, it is far more critical to work together to prevent unchecked emissions growth among key emerging economies.

To achieve a strong international agreement and meet the climate challenge all countries must be fully engaged.  The International Energy Agency estimates 97 percent of future emissions growth will come from the developing world.  
As President Obama said, “We cannot meet this challenge unless all the largest emitters of greenhouse gas pollution act together.  There's no other way.”

Developed countries need to reduce their emissions substantially by 2020 on an absolute basis, compared to a 2005 or 1990 baseline.  Major developing nations must take actions that will substantially reduce their emissions by 2020 on a relative basis, compared to their “business as usual” path.  Other developing countries should focus on preparing low-carbon growth plans – with financial and technical assistance – to guide their longer-term development.

Ultimately, a climate change agreement must be not just about limiting carbon emissions but about providing a safe pathway for sustainable development.  A new agreement must help answer the question of how the world can develop in the decades ahead without endangering our planet.   Clean energy development is the only sustainable way forward.  To facilitate this path, countries with advanced capabilities must stand ready to develop and disseminate technologies to countries in need.

Will Malta deploy these “capabilities” of advanced technology in favor of a greener society and join the U.S. in its call for a new international accord on climate change?  There are reasons to think so and to be encouraged.  Government budget proposals call for “incentives for energy conservation and emission reduction” and leaders in both political parties realize, more than is true in many nations, that innovative ideas preserving environmentally sensitive resources are not the province of a single political party.  The well thought out presentations for the City Gate project of Renzo Piano, for example, reveal in their intriguing sophistication how often the best way to show respect for the rich and noble history of the Maltese people is to value the environment in which they live and work today.
 
Compatibly, the U.S. Embassy worked closely with the University of Malta and James Madison University on the establishment of a joint degree program in Sustainable Resource Management.  In addition, the Embassy has regularly invited U.S. speakers to Malta to address the environment and climate change. The Embassy staff honored the memory of those whose lives were wantonly taken on 9/11 with an affirmation of life and community:  tree planting and park cleanup in conjunction with the St. Paul’s Bay Local Council and the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs.  The Ambassador’s Award for Environmental Excellence recognizes U.S. companies in Malta demonstrating the highest standards of corporate social responsibility.
 
I have also insisted that the U.S. lead by example. The new Embassy building in Ta’Qali will be an internationally-certified green building and a showcase of environmental efficiency, with features from smart lighting to solar panels to a state-of-the-art water catchment system.  We are exploring the feasibility of supplementing the energy derived from the sun with wind turbines that emit remarkably little noise.

Of course, no nation can go it alone.  This was President Obama’s overall message to the United Nations General Assembly.  It’s one I know the Maltese people share since so many have treated me and my wife and children as the closest of family since our arrival a few weeks ago.  Family members look out for each other and want the best for each other.  It is in that spirit that the U.S. urges Malta to join us in a strong, new international agreement – an agreement that will, as President Obama stated, “allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet.”