05 April 2002

U.S., Japan Consult on Climate Change, Sustainable Development

Agreement on greenhouse gas research, use of market incentives

In a joint press statement on April 5, the United States and Japan agreed to "cooperate to achieve sustainable development in the 21st Century." The two countries also agreed to promote cooperation on reduction of greenhouse gases that cause global warming through investigation of market incentives, as well identification of promising avenues for research.

According to the statement issued at the conclusion of the second meeting of the U.S.-Japan High Level Consultations on Climate Change:

"The United States and Japan acknowledge the promise of science and technology, the need to spur technological innovation, the importance of encouraging voluntary initiatives in the private sector, and the importance of market-based incentives."

The statement stressed the critical importance of participation by developing nations in efforts to reduce greenhouse. Both nations, the statement noted, "Recognize the importance of continuing assistance to developing countries through human resources development, technology transfer and financial cooperation in the context of climate change."

Among the priority research areas that the U.S. and Japan identified: improved computer climate models, expanded international data exchanges, research on natural "sinks" that absorb greenhouse gases, monitoring of polar regions, and development of renewable and alternative energy sources.

Following is the text of a joint press statement released on April 5 by the United States and Japan:

Media Note
Department of State
Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, D.C. April 5, 2002

Second Meeting of the U.S.-Japan High-Level Consultations on Climate Change

The World Summit on Sustainable Development will take place later this year in Johannesburg, South Africa. The United States and Japan are approaching this important event with enthusiasm and a shared belief in its potential to achieve lasting success. To this end, both countries will cooperate to achieve sustainable development in the 21st Century.

Last year President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi recognized that climate change is a pressing global problem requiring a global approach. The President and Prime Minister expressed their shared understanding of the seriousness of the challenge posed by climate change and agreed to initiate high-level consultations to explore common ground and areas for common action on climate change. Since then, both sides have worked intensively toward this end.

The United States and Japan acknowledge the promise of science and technology, the need to spur technological innovation, the importance of encouraging voluntary initiatives in the private sector, and the importance of market-based incentives in this regard. They share a common belief in the need for the widest-possible global participation in addressing climate change, consistent with the need to ensure continued economic growth.

The United States explained its climate change policy announced on February 14, 2002, and its efforts to meet the national goal announced by President Bush. Japan explained its position regarding the Kyoto Protocol and its efforts to achieve its commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. Both countries exchanged views regarding their respective policies. Both will take enhanced actions to contribute to addressing the long-term problem of climate change consistent with the objective of the Framework Convention.

They will continue to work together in the sprit of cooperation and partnership under the Framework Convention on Climate Change to address the long-term challenge of climate change. In this regard, both countries recognize the importance of these high-level consultations, and agree to their continuation.

Based on the previous discussions at working level consultations, Japan and the United States agreed to promote cooperation on climate change as follows:

Market Mechanisms:

The United States and Japan agreed to undertake an exchange of views on ideas, such as:

1. Voluntary actions;

2. Promotion of early actions, including incentive-based programs, for emission reductions;

3. Registries;

4. International issues associated with market mechanisms; and

5. Information programs.

Science and Technology:

The United States and Japan agreed to elaborate and implement the following priority research areas:

1. Improvement of climate models making use of the "Earth Simulator" and research on earth processes for modeling;

2. Impact and adaptation/mitigation policy assessment employing emission-climate-impact integrated models;

3. Observations and international data exchange/quality control;

4. Research on greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks including Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF);

5. Research on polar regions;

6. Development of mitigation and prevention technologies such as separation, recovery, sequestration and utilization of carbon and GHGs; and

7. Research and development of renewable and alternative energy technologies, resources, and products, as well as energy efficiency measures and technologies.

1. In order to ensure the effectiveness of actions against global warming, the U.S. and Japan shared the crucial importance of the participation of all countries, including developing countries, based on common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The U.S. and Japan will continue close cooperation for this purpose.

2. In order to complement such efforts, the U.S. and Japan will work together to engage developing countries through various fora, such as G8 and IEA as well as bilateral consultation with developing countries.

3. The U.S. and Japan also recognize the importance of continuing assistance to developing countries through human resources development, technology transfer and financial cooperation in the context of climate change. Both sides agree to continue to exchange information on assistance to developing countries.

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