*EPF503 09/06/2002
Transcript: New U.S. Water Quality Programs Link Oceans and Rivers
(International initiative announced at sustainable development summit) (3280)

U.S. officials are developing a wide-ranging multi-national campaign to improve ocean water quality through better management and protection of the inland watersheds that empty into the seas.

The "White Water to Blue Water" initiative unveiled at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, is one effort in a wide range of projects announced by the United States to improve environmental quality and achieve sustainability. Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), described the initiative in a September 2 briefing with Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs John Turner.

"You have to remember that 80 percent of the pollution that we see in coastal areas comes from the land-based activities in proximity to those coasts. So people who make decisions well inland are affecting our coasts," Lautenbacher said.

The initiative will attempt to promote better decisionmaking for land use in coastal zones. A variety of international partners are involved, including other major donor governments, Caribbean governments and prominent environmental organizations.

In the briefing, Turner also assessed the state of overall negotiations at that point in the summit, which ended September 4. He emphasized the importance of the many action-oriented programs that the United States unveiled during the course of the summit.

(begin transcript)

PRESS BRIEFING ON U.S. OCEANS INITIATIVES
2 SEPTEMBER 2002

SPEAKERS:
JOHN TURNER, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE BUREAU OF OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
VICE ADMIRAL CONRAD LAUTENBACHER, UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR OCEANS AND ATMOSPHERE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, ADMINISTRATOR (NOAA)

John Turner: Thank you and welcome. Let me just give you some brief comments on the summit as we see it here today, and then I am happy to answer further questions, but I would ask your indulgence first because I am so pleased to have Admiral Lautenbacher with us, who leads many of the efforts of the United States and has led the overseas implementation of many of the initiatives we came here to talk about -- certainly in the oceans and marine resource area, and much of our science approach. His agency has a key role in the United States' strategy on climate.

The United States came here with two major goals, to successfully conclude a very positive and forward-looking plan of implementation. We are hopefully in the final end game of that. Second, the United States came here ready to commit to results-oriented action, to implement partnerships with developing countries and the impoverished parts of the world. We look at this as a journey. Stops along that journey have included Doha, to look at improving trade especially in the developing world, and Monterrey, to build a framework for resources to greatly increase the resources and to build a framework of expectations not only by our developed world, but also by the developing world.

Looking at those two goals for the United States, I am very pleased with what we have accomplished to date. I think we have made a real breakthrough with the plan of action. Most of the items before us, numbering somewhere, maybe a 1000 items, we have reached consensus.

The United States came with the attitude to be positive, forward leaning, and to look for solutions in that text. The responses we are getting are that the United States has been a leading force in molding the document, finding compromise, and taking some very positive steps forward. We are still negotiating, as we said. We are discussing the energy package, we worked on that until 4 am, when the interpreters and the negotiators simply needed a reprieve, so South Africa gave us a couple of hours off. They are back at it. We can talk about that energy package.

Overall, I am very pleased as I look at the plan of implementation and some major accomplishments. I think we have moved the issue of fisheries forward. The United States has and continues to be a world leader in trying to restore fish stocks, address coral reefs, land-based pollution sources, more integrated management, looking at ocean resources beyond the coastline, watershed management, and landscape management. The Admiral can talk more about that. I think we have made real positive steps in biodiversity.

The major accomplishments I think, are reaffirmation of the commitments at Doha on trade, and the commitments of the Monterrey conference. I think we have made a major accomplishment in coming together as a world community and defining what some call capacity building, some call good governance. Our commitment is to increasing democracy, fighting corruption, increasing public participation, transparency for the press and the public, establishment of the rule of law, contract law, property rights, fair and equitable and predictable standards. The United States is going to be a partner, and we are going to invest in that kind of commitment. So, we did complete the governance package and the United States helped lead that effort -- a commitment to national and local [good governance] and improvement in the infrastructure that creates the right environment for environmental stewardship, building economic prosperity and investing in social items.

I think that kind of commitment to action, through collaborative efforts in these areas we have brought packages. And if you look at the commitments of the United States, those the President has made, it is in the neighborhood of $10 billion dollars to eradicate poverty, to increase sustainable development, to increase access to fresh water, to increase access to energy, with a real focus on clean energy, a wonderful forestry package targeted to the Congo basin, that Secretary Colin Powell will talk about tomorrow, fighting hunger, again with a focus here in Africa, a strong commitment to health care, fighting infectious disease, HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB, a wonderful educational package for Africa and the oceans package which we think is one of the most creative partnerships, and then commitments to increased housing for the poor and some other partnerships.

We came here to commit on behalf of the President, and the response we've had from the NGO's, other governments, business groups, philanthropy, to join the United States in this kind of positive effort, get beyond text, get beyond planning, commit to action. I think we have laid a lot of the groundwork here for what has to be a long term, sustained commitment to ensure that today's solutions for future generations indeed will enjoy a legacy that is more sustainable. So Conrad, welcome and I think you are all going to find this white water to blue water initiative pretty exciting. Thank you.

Adm. Lautenbacher: Thank you, Assistant Secretary Turner. It is a great pleasure to be with you today. I appreciate this opportunity and actually I appreciate the opportunity to be here at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. This is a very important forum for the environment and for development itself. I am here to talk about the oceans and I can tell you that is one of my favorite subjects, having spent 40 years in the United States Navy, I am well acquainted with the value of our oceans to all aspects of life and I think we cannot overemphasize the fact that our oceans and our coasts are an integral part of sustainable, global sustainable development.

Seventy percent of the earth is covered by oceans. They wash the shores of all of our major continents and the majority of the countries in the world. Our stewardship of those oceans and those coasts is critical to the future, both in the quality of life and in improvements to our economies and improving conditions under which people live. They have provided an essential life support function from which on life on earth as we know it today would be impossible. So, this is a very important area to work in, we have been working hard to create the kinds of Type 2 partnerships.

One partnership in particular that we have announced today is the white water to blue water initiative. That focus is on the fact that our earth is a system of systems. We have the earth, the atmosphere and the oceans and they are all connected. Today with the population pressures that we have, it is not possible to make decisions on each one of these areas, without having a major impact on the other portions of the system. NOAA is a science-based organization that works in the oceans and atmosphere. We look for the basic science that predicts the way systems interact, we have models that predict the future, we do a number of regulatory and enforcement actions in our coastal zones, and in our fisheries managements. So we are very well positioned within the United States Government to help lead some of these efforts.

The white water to blue water effort is a large-scale partnership, including governments, including regional and local governments as well as NGO's and private corporations. The object is to connect watersheds with coastal regions. You have to remember that 80% of the pollution that we see in coastal areas comes from the land based activities in proximity to those coasts. So, people who make decisions well inland are affecting our coasts, they are affecting the quality of life for those people. Remember that even today, close to 50% and in some places more than 50% of the world's populations live in these coastal zones. And so the proper management of development in those areas, key industries such as fisheries, energy, tourism related items, and just the urbanization of our coasts, require a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. So this is a partnership that brings in all of those elements and we will begin that with work in the Caribbean.

We are using the Caribbean environmental program countries as a model to begin with. That is a very well focused group that has been set up under UNEP and it represents an area to showcase to begin this process of integrated management, cross-sectoral management in our coastal zones. Our partners include the UK, France, Spain, Panama, Costa Rica, Jamaica, all of the CEP countries, the Caribbean Environment Program countries. We have NGO's, World Conservation, UN Foundation, Ocean Conservancy, wildlife conservation societies, Nature Conservancy, Oceania, Ecologic and number of universities like Miami, Delaware, Rhode Island. International organizations I've mentioned: UNEP and the Caribbean Environmental Program, growth global program of action, IO-CARIB and the International Maritime Organization. This is an area where we have great interest in building this management structure in order to help give the right kinds of tools for survival and improvement in our coastal areas. Our plan is to have a major round table in 2003 where we will bring all of these folks together and begin the process.

In addition to focusing on the Caribbean to build a showcase place to work from, we will be inviting representatives from Africa. There are a number of areas, regions around the coast in Africa where these types of management techniques and this partnership will be very useful. They will be invited to the round table, as will the Western Pacific area, China, and South Asia, the Eurasian continent and the South Pacific islands. There will be folks invited from basically all parts of the world where this type of a management scheme will be appreciated and helpful to sustainable development. So that's white water to blue water.

There are lots of other initiatives going on that are important too. There are large marine ecosystem programs. You can see displays of these programs over in the Waterdome. Much of the activity that has been going on in this area is over in the Waterdome. Incidentally, we also have some science fora that are going on last week and this week to get the world's scientists together. NOAA has formed partnerships and collaborations with the IOC, the World Meteorological Organization, the earth observing system partnerships, IDOS, GDOS. All of these groups have been working here, in addition to the formal sessions that have been going on at the World Summit. This is all a very important foundation to the types of ocean and coastal activities in which we are going to be engaged.

I might mention the Coral Reef Initiative and fisheries management. Remember that one billion people in this world fish, and that if you look at the number of people that depend on that source for their protein and their livelihood, management of the coast on just that one particular item has huge economic impact. This is a serious issue that is not just an environmental issue. It is a sustenance and a survivability issue for people who maintain their livelihood and their cultures based on the sea. With that let me stop and we can answer questions as you wish, unless there is something else on the agenda. Thank you very much.

Saki Ouchi, Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan: Mr. Secretary if I could ask you to elaborate on how you began on sanitation, how you began with no targets to now agree to 2015?

John Turner: Let me just make a personal comment. I know you are all interested in the text. That is a lot of the focus and the controversy. In preparation for the summit, and here at the summit, we have expended a lot of time as a global community on plans, and targets and text. I know that is of interest but I submit to you that text and planning and goals do not save children from waterborne diseases. They do not provide a drop of water for a rural village or electrical power or help fight infectious disease. It is a commitment to action, it is new resources, partners coming together. I hope, and it is a personal plea to you all, that [only] part of this story is the controversy on the text. The people around the world, poor people today and future generations are going to hold us accountable. [They could ask,] Is all you did at the World Summit was to write text and define lofty goals? Because [text and goals ] are nothing but rhetoric if you don't follow up with actions. So I hope you will focus on some of the commitments that are being made by ourselves and others. Though not as controversial, these commitments are really going to make a difference.

Your question was on the sanitation target. It is no secret that the United States has not come here to focus on lofty goals in themselves. We want a commitment to action, a commitment of real resources. On sanitation we were pleased, have been pleased to support the Millennium Goals, including those on fresh water and health, which are interrelated. With that in mind, while we have been here at the conference, we have been impressed with a number of partners willing to come and join the United States, Japan and others to commit to things like ocean initiatives and sanitation.

No one spends more than the United States on helping impoverished areas of the world on sanitation, clean water, and health. We have a President who cares deeply about taking care of people and thus I think we bring the boldest commitment of resources and action to lift the impoverished parts of the world of any nation in history. It is certainly unprecedented in the United States.

With respect to sanitation, we have committed ourselves to see that this conference was a success and finding a compromise on the sanitation goal is part of that. Because of the commitments to actions that are accompanying the dire needs in sanitation, the United States was pleased to help mould a statement that linked us with water and made a clear commitment to action. So, with that the United States was pleased to join others in a commitment to halve the number of people today without access to adequate sanitation by the year 2015.

John Sullivan, BNA Daily Environment Report: Following up on the same issue, you were objecting to targets and now that the last issue is energy. Are you still objecting to targets in energy and if so why?

John Turner: We are not opposed to targets. The United States has made a full commitment to the Millennium Goals and targets worked out at Rio. But goals for goals sake is not something the United States has been all about. The energy targets and other issues are being discussed as we meet. We spent most of yesterday leading an effort with other key players to forge an energy package that we could all rally around. The United States commits more to renewable energy and energy access, cleaner energy and greenhouse gases than any other nation. That commitment has been increased substantially by this President. No other nation is more committed to providing energy to impoverished areas of the world, with a real focus on, not only renewables, but also cleaner use of existing fuel, and more efficient use of fuel.

We brought a very comprehensive climate energy package to the conference that deals with energy access, with more efficient use of energy, and with the serious problems of indoor air pollution based on inefficient use of pre-industrial stage fuels like manure and wood.

The renewable energy target is arbitrary. The United States would prefer a more comprehensive look at energy and it is my feeling that the energy target or some we saw was based on one small segment of technology. What we ought to be talking about is performance and committing ourselves to a comprehensive approach to lessen the emission of greenhouse gases. Renewables are an important part of that but the United States feels we need a much more comprehensive integrated approach based on the commitments of our President, my office and others. Admiral Lautenbacher and other agencies are committed to engaging the developing world in energy technology and a lot of our efforts will be on renewables and cleaner energy, cleaner use of fuel. We hope to come out with a very positive statement on energy, an energy package and a commitment of the United States and others to renewable energies as a part of that package. I can only report that there is a great division and [range of] opinion on a lot of the energy package, including targets. A lot of countries have the same skepticism over some of the energy targets on renewables that have been brought to the floor. It was divided. There are a lot of different opinions and they continue as we speak on energy. They were discussing it when I left a few minutes ago.

John Mason, Financial Times: It's not a target, but the compromise reached over trade and finance and the WTO rules and what have you. That appears to be another compromise by the United States. Why was that made?

John Turner: We are very excited about Doha and the finance and trade language. I think it was a good step forward, and the thing that I really like about the trade and finance package is the collective focus. We have given a real step forward in recognizing the importance of building capacity at the regional and national levels, to fight corruption, and establish rule of law. It is a big step forward that we all agree that you need a foundation with impoverished parts of the world, whether you are in environmental stewardship, saving oceans, fighting HIV/AIDS, providing water, energy, education, and healthcare. The NGO community, developing and developed nations, and civil societies all came together and made a very bold statement on governance. The statement on trade and environment is a very positive statement that we embrace.

Thank you.

(end transcript)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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