*EPF510 12/12/2003
Text: U.S., Italian Representatives Discuss Ways to Tackle Climate Change
(Issue joint statement at climate change conference in Milan) (1580)

U.S. and Italian representatives met December 11 to address technology-related actions the two nations are taking to tackle the issue of climate change, according to a joint statement released at the climate change convention being held in Milan.

The statement says the United States and Italy share the common goal of meeting the ultimate objective of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change -- namely, the stabilization of heat-trapping greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with climate.

The statement was released following a meeting between Italian Minister of the Environment and Territory Altero Matteoli and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobrianski, together with other senior government officials and representatives of the private sector from both countries.

Dobriansky, who heads the U.S. delegation at the climate change conference, said in remarks delivered at the joint meeting that the U.S.-Italy partnership is "a very important part" of the Bush administration's international effort on climate change.

She also said that the U.S.-Italy partnership is one of the most developed of the 13 U.S. bilateral climate change partnerships with other countries, dating back to July 19, 2001, when President Bush and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged that the two countries would pursue joint research programs on climate change and low-emission technology development.

Dobriansky said that, as part of this on-going partnership, Italian and U.S. experts in government and the private sector are working on a number of clean energy technologies, including stationary fuel cells; hydrogen production and infrastructure; cleaner fossil fuel technologies, including carbon capture and storage; and geothermal, wind and other renewable sources of energy.

Following are the texts of the joint statement and Dobriansky's prepared remarks:

(begin text)

U.S. Department of State
Ministry for the Environment and Territory

Joint Statement of the United States and Italy on Climate Change Research and Technology

Milan, Italy
December 11, 2003

The Italian Minister for the Environment and Territory Altero Matteoli and the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky, together with other senior government officials and representatives of the private sector from both countries addressed the technology-related actions they are taking to tackle climate change in the framework of the U.S.-Italy cooperation agreement.

On July 19, 2001, President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi pledged that the two countries would pursue joint research programs on climate change and low-emission technology development. On January 22, 2002, the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Territory, the U.S. Department of State and the White Office of Science and Technology Policy agreed to promote scientific and technological cooperation. The purpose of the agreement is to develop projects in the following four fields:

-- carbon cycle research
-- global and regional climate modeling
-- low carbon emission technologies development
-- hydrogen fuel cell technologies

On September 16, 2003, at a high-level discussion session Minister Matteoli and Under Secretary Dobriansky agreed that the development and deployment of transformational technologies for cleaner and more efficient energy is fundamental to addressing global climate change in a manner that promotes global prosperity. They also agreed that a focus on advancing carbon sequestration, hydrogen and fuel cells is important for all countries and will especially benefit developing countries working to achieve sustainable development. The two sides also decided to enhance cooperation on World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) goals of increasing access to clean energy for those currently lacking modern energy services.

The U.S. and Italy share the common goal of meeting the ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, namely the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate.

The Ninth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-9) is an important opportunity to focus on the role of energy technologies for achieving the ultimate objective of the Convention on Climate Change in a way that promotes economic growth and poverty alleviation, enhances energy security, and improves environment quality and human health.

The U.S.-Italy cooperation agreement, as well as the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, and the other bilateral cooperation programs on climate change based on voluntary agreements, could be considered under Article 4.1(c) of the Climate Convention and will add value to the global effort to tackle climate change.

Following is the text of Dobriansky's prepared remarks on U.S.-Italy Cooperation on Climate Change

Delegation of the United States to the Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
Milan, Italy
December 1-12, 2003

Remarks by Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs and Head of the U.S. Delegation to COP-9

U.S.-Italy Cooperation on Climate Change
December 11, 2003

Thank you for coming. I want to give special thanks to Minister Matteoli, Dr. Clini and our Italian colleagues for arranging and hosting this important event here in the Italian Pavilion. Our Italian hosts deserve a lot of the credit for their organization of the Conference and for their generous hospitality in welcoming the international community to one of Italy's leading cities -- Milan.

The Italy-U.S. partnership is a very important part of the Bush Administration's international effort on climate change, and the drive to develop cleaner energy technologies that we believe are key to addressing climate change in a way that protects the environment and capitalizes on the economic productivity of the citizens of our two countries.

The U.S.-Italy partnership on climate change is one of the most developed of our bilateral climate change partnerships. It has an important origin, coming directly out of a decision by Prime Minister Berlusconi and President Bush at their 2001 meeting.

That was followed last year in Rome by the first U.S.-Italy climate change research and technology meeting. Since then, we have accomplished much together. Most recently, Minister Matteoli and I met in Sacramento, California to lead a discussion about cleaner energy technologies. We agreed that the development and deployment of transformational technologies is fundamental to addressing global climate change. We talked about a range of technologies, but one that we focused on was hydrogen.

As part of our bilateral partnership, Italian and U.S. experts in government and in the private sector are working on a number of other clean energy technologies: stationary fuel cells; hydrogen production; hydrogen infrastructure, cleaner fossil fuels technologies, including carbon capture and storage; and, geothermal, wind, and other renewable sources of energy.

In the United States, we are working to reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions in the near term, as we also work to develop and deploy advanced energy technologies that will achieve our goals in the longer term. For the coming decade, President Bush has committed the United States to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of our economy by 18%. Major industrial sectors have responded to President Bush's challenge to develop new, voluntary initiatives to reduce emissions by committing to ambitious emissions reductions over the coming decade.

We appreciate greatly Italy's assistance and participation in the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, which seeks to develop new cost-effective technologies to capture and store emissions from utilizing coal and other fossil fuels. There will be a follow-up meeting of this Forum next month in Pisa. Just a few weeks ago, in Washington, Minister Matteoli, U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, and other ministers helped launch the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy to accelerate the global transition to a hydrogen economy. The United States is also working under the GenIV program to develop next-generation nuclear technology, and we have reentered the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project to develop fusion technology by mid-century.

Improving our understanding of the climate system is also important to our international approach, because it is our knowledge of earth and climate systems that form the basis for our actions and investments to address climate change. We were pleased that representatives from Italy attended the Earth Observation Summit in July in Washington D.C., where we agreed to exchange information, to work with developing countries, and to support a comprehensive Earth observation system with a 10-year implementation plan. And last month, the Group on Earth Observations met in the beautiful town of Baveno to discuss the way ahead and to give guidance to five subgroups on the first draft of the foundation document.

America welcomes Italy's leadership in bridging different approaches to climate change and finding common ground. We also note Italy's leadership in the current presidency of the European Union, where it is helping to advance trans-Atlantic cooperation on climate change and a range of other important issues. The progress we are making in cooperation with Italy and other partners, and in our efforts at home, are important for achieving the goals of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

As we complete our discussions here in Milan, I am hopeful that the American-Italian partnership will continue to build upon and expand our actions. I look forward to the continued cooperation between our two nations, and to the remaining discussions and activities at this conference.

Thank you.

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

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