Climate Change

08 May 2012 Polar Bears Can Adapt, But How Quickly?  Scientists from Germany, Spain, Sweden and the United States find the evolution of the polar bear shows the species has adapted to past climate changes but question whether the species can adapt quickly enough to survive the changes now occurring in the Earth’s climate.

02 May 2012 Warmer Arctic Brings Opportunities and Risk, Experts Say  Warmer temperatures causing global climate change are recorded month after month, but the greatest evidence of environmental change appears in the Arctic. Increased summer melt of the Arctic Ocean is opening new navigable sea lanes, creating both new opportunities and new risks for the nations with interests in the northernmost ocean.

24 April 2012 Climate Change Coalition Gains New Members, Momentum  A two-month-old international plan to accelerate action against climate-damaging pollutants is gaining momentum with decisions from Stockholm.   The Climate and Clean Air Coalition is targeting a subgroup of greenhouse gases with an oversized effect on global warming, including methane, soot and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

11 April 2012 Long-Term Study Reveals Potential Results of Climate Change   Ecosystems dependent on snow and ice may suffer the most adverse impacts from climate change, according to a body of information accumulated through the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network, a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

16 March 2012 NASA Renews Arctic Flights Studying Polar Ice  From mid-March through mid-May, researchers working on Operation IceBridge will spend a lot of the time in the air, as they fly daily missions over the planet’s most northern regions to collect data on sea and land ice.   IceBridge will join efforts to validate and calibrate sea ice measurements by CryoSat-2, the European Space Agency’s ice-monitoring satellite.

16 February 2012 Campaign Launches to Cut Methane, Soot and Reduce Climate Change   The United States and a group of international partners launched a new battle in the campaign against climate change, forming a coalition to reduce the release of a subgroup of greenhouse gases (GHG) that have an oversized effect on global warming.

09 February 2012 New NASA Data Offer Greater Detail in Earth Ice Depletion  Satellite observations accumulated over a seven-year period show that the volume of Earth’s land ice mass decreased by 4.3 trillion tons (more than 4,150 cubic kilometers) and increased global sea level by 12 millimeters.   A research team at the University of Colorado reached these conclusions based on satellite measurements collected from 2003 to 2010 by the NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE).

Climate Change : COP-17

COP-17

• COP-17 Durban website
• Global Conversations: Climate blog

The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol, will be held in the sunny city of Durban, South Africa.

We will be streaming the news from Durban as we have it from our Facebook page.

COP-17 News

13 December 2011 U.S. Satisfied with Outcome of Climate Change Talks  The U.S. special envoy on climate change is calling the two-week round of talks in Durban, South Africa, a “successful conference,” saying the United States is satisfied with the agreement reached by negotiators from almost 200 participating nations.

08 December 2011 Global Climate Talks Near End with Appeal for Common Ground With the U.N. summit on climate change about to enter its final day in Durban, South Africa, the U.S. special envoy to the meeting asked fellow negotiators to “seek the common ground needed to deliver a successful outcome.”

08 December 2011 Remarks by U.S. Envoy Stern at COP-17 Conference in South Africa

05 December 2011 Statement by Special Envoy Stern at COP-17 Conference in Durban

29 November 2011 U.S. Hopes for Progress at Climate Change Talks   U.S. negotiators in Durban, South Africa, are hoping that “a substantial step forward in the global effort to address climate change” can be made at the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, according to the deputy special envoy leading the U.S. delegation this week.

28 November 2011 Press Briefing on the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change

Melting sea ice forces polar bears to swim longer distances. (USFWS photo)

26 September 2011 New Data from Pacific May Help Save Coral Reefs  A new coral reef observation station is operating in Saipan in the Northern Mariana island chain of the North Pacific. The station, installed in August, will transmit an array of environmental observations, providing another monitoring tool for the Coral Reef Early Warning System  developed by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

19 September 2011 U.S. Climate Negotiator: “Real Progress Can Be Made”  Seventy days remain until international leaders will gather in South Africa to discuss ways to tackle climate change.  A meeting held between leaders from 17 major economies in Washington to discuss the road forward was productive, U.S. lead climate negotiator Todd Stern said, adding that several outstanding issues, such as the future of the Kyoto Protocol, remain thorny.

15 September 2011 Cleaner Fuel on Ships Produces Fewer Emissions, NOAA Finds  Air pollution emitted by a seagoing vessel drops sharply when the ship switches to a cleaner, low-sulfur fuel, according to a study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

25 August 2011 Seattle’s Climate Strategy Pays Off  It is difficult to imagine a water shortage in Seattle, Washington.  Yet the threat of water shortages — triggered by glacier melt and accelerated by warming temperatures — has inspired the city of 609,000 to embark on one of the most ambitious climate protection plans in the nation. The city has launched plans to cut energy waste by insulating and retrofitting buildings, to reduce driving by building new transit networks, and to position itself as a hotbed of clean-energy jobs and innovation.

29 June 2011 Climate Report: Warmer Temperatures, Extreme Events Mark 2010  The year 2010 ranked as one of the two warmest years on record, according to an assessment compiled by almost 370 scientists in 45 countries.  The findings present “multiple indicators, same bottom line conclusion,” according to a NOAA briefing paper. “Consistent and unmistakable signal from the top of the atmosphere to the bottom of the oceans: The world continues to warm.”

24 June 2011 U.S. to Discuss Climate Change, Poverty with Pacific Islands  The Obama administration is sending a high-level delegation to the Pacific Islands to engage governments in the region on climate change, the welfare of Pacific Islanders and U.S. assistance to the region.

24 May 2011 Trees Have Carbon Task Want to do something about climate change? Plant a tree. 

13 May 2011 "Cool Roofs" Save Energy Cool roofs are made of materials that reflect solar energy, moving heat away from the structure below it. These materials can include specially coated metal, tile and even asphalt shingles.

12 May 2011 Arctic Council Completes Major Science Report on the State of the Arctic Cryosphere 

11 May 2011 Are You Living on an "Urban Heat Island"?  When you are living in a busy city, it’s hard to think of yourself as living on an “island.”  But you are:  an urban heat island, to be exact.  All those concrete buildings, paved streets and sidewalks are absorbing heat, promoting smog and increasing air pollution.

10 May 2011 U.S. Takes High-Level Interest in Arctic Meeting  Two U.S. Cabinet secretaries head to Nuuk, Greenland, for a meeting of the Arctic Council May 12, devoting a “historic” level of executive branch attention, according to one U.S. official, to this meeting of nations with territorial claims to the top of the world.

25 April 2011 Studies Say Cities Are Ill Prepared for Hazards of Climate Change  A U.S. researcher says cities worldwide are particularly vulnerable to damage from the effects of climate change — and doing little to prepare for them.  The cities also are failing to reduce the damage they are causing through carbon emissions, the researcher said.

20 April  2011 State Department Releases Benchmarks to Meet Energy and Sustainability Goals The Department of State released its Fiscal Year 2010 scorecard on sustainability and energy performance in accordance with Executive Order 13514, which directs Federal agencies to meet a range of energy, water, pollution, and waste reduction targets.  The scorecard, issued by the Office of Management and Budget, indicates the Department is meeting most of its environmental requirements.

15 December 2010 Carbon Capture: A Tough Nut to Crack  Populations grow, emissions increase, global temperatures continue to rise. What to do?  Emission cap-and-trade schemes and renewable energy alone likely won’t be able to bend the carbon curve — the term climate-change experts like to use to describe a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.  For that reason, governments and companies increasingly are looking for new and unconventional solutions to the climate problem.

14 December 2010 Briefing on the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun   Remarks by the Special Envoy for Climate Change, Todd Stern, Washington, DC.

13 December 2010 COP-16 Renews Hope for Global Climate Treaty  The world may finally be on its way toward a legally binding treaty that includes all major greenhouse gas emitters and compensates nations most vulnerable to climate change. Many environmental groups and governments from all corners of the world seem to concur: Agreements reached at the U.N.-led climate summit in Cancún, Mexico, set countries on a solid path toward lower emissions.

13 December 2010 Briefing by Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd on the Cancun Agreements

11 December 2010 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Cancun Agreements 

06 December 2010 Top U.S. Officials Arrive at COP-16  With the leading U.S. climate negotiator, Todd Stern, already immersed in talks with his international counterparts, Energy Secretary Steven Chu arrived at COP-16 December 6 to underscore that the United States is not waiting for a legally binding treaty to tackle the climate change problem at home.

30 November 2010 U.S. Climate Help for Developing Nations on Track  Last year's climate summit in Copenhagen failed to produce a legally binding treaty, but it generated promises from all major economies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Leaders from more than 190 countries are now in Mexico to try to build on those commitments in hopes of eventually reaching a final agreement.

15 November 2010 Global and Fair Climate Treaty in U.S. Interest, Official Says  With the next international climate change meeting just days away, a member of the U.S. negotiating team repeated that President Obama stands by pledges made at last year’s meeting in Copenhagen. The United States also expects progress to be made on several key issues at the Cancún, Mexico, climate change meeting that will eventually result in a legally binding, global accord, he said.

25 October 2010 Rules for U.S. Trucks Would Cut Emissions, Oil Consumption   For the first time in U.S. history, the government is proposing fuel-efficiency standards for trucks and buses, starting with vehicles that hit the market in 2013. The new rules, if made final, would save 500 million barrels of oil for vehicles of the model years 2014 through 2018, and 250 tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the lifetime of the trucks, said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

05 October 2010 U.S. Committed to 2020 Emissions Target   The United States can and will continue to address climate change at home to meet its 17 percent emissions reduction goal by 2020, Obama administration officials say — even if a divided Congress cannot pass comprehensive climate legislation.

28 September 2010 Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of State the U.S. Embassy in London organized a conference on Climate Change & Agricultural Innovation.  All materials from this conference are available in PDF form from the conference page.

15 September 2010 U.S. Government Cutting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Federal agencies submit sustainability action plan

07 September 2010 Americans Consume Less Energy, Less Fossil Fuel   Efforts to wean Americans off fossil fuels and onto green energy and conservation are beginning to pay off, a new study suggests. Households and businesses across the United States used significantly less coal and oil in 2009 than the year before, the study from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory shows.

30 July 2010 U.S. to Build First Continental-Scale Ecosystem Observing Network   For decades, scientists who study Earth's changing climate have gotten their data from global observing systems that monitor air, land or sea. Now, in the United States, the first continental-scale network simultaneously will monitor these and more than 500 other aspects of complex ecosystems, from weather to the genetics of living creatures.

29 July 2010 Nations Advance on Climate Finance Outlined in Copenhagen Accord   In the months since the international community negotiated the Copenhagen Accord at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Denmark in December, 136 countries have associated themselves with the brief document that outlines key elements of a long-term global climate change solution.  Critical among these elements is finance, and the accord includes provisions for new financial help for developing countries that cannot afford to reduce their rising greenhouse gas emissions or cope with the effects of a warming planet.

29 July 2010 U.S. Icebreaker Completes Arctic Science Mission  NASA research project studies impact of climate change.

27 July 2010 Statement on U.S.-Canada Joint Arctic Survey Mission  The U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, chaired by the Department of State, will conduct a joint Arctic mission with the Government of Canada this summer to collect scientific data pertaining to the extended continental shelf and Arctic seafloor.  The mission will continue the U.S.-Canada collaboration begun in 2008.  As in the past two years, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent will participate in the mission.  The joint operations will be conducted from August 7 to September 3.

16 July 2010 U.S. Cities Lead the Way on Climate Change Policies  More than half of the world’s population now resides in cities, and urban areas account for an estimated 75 percent of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. But those facts don’t tell the whole story.

07 June 2010 Climate Change Media Partnership Trains, Connects Journalists  Mass communications media in the developed world have covered scientific and political debates over the impact of global climate change for nearly two decades. But journalists in developing countries did not have the budgets, the training, or the opportunities to do the same.

20 May 2010 Top U.S. Scientists Urge Action on Climate Change   The National Academy of Sciences — the United States’ leading body of scientists — doesn’t typically jump into policy debates. However, it has strayed from its normal role as a science adviser to the government and urged the United States to implement “prompt and sustained strategies” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

12 May 2010 U.S. Senators Present Climate Bill, but Obstacles Remain  Nearly a year after lawmakers in the House of Representative passed climate change legislation, two of their colleagues on the Senate side presented their own version of a bill. If enacted, the legislation would dramatically curtail U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases in coming decades.

05 May 2010 U.S. Seeking to Boost “Fast-Track” Climate Aid   The United States plans to do its share to meet “fast-track” financial obligations spelled out by the Copenhagen Accord on climate change, U.S. officials say. For fiscal year 2011, which begins October 1, President Obama’s administration has requested $1.9 billion in international climate funds from Congress, which must approve all federal spending.

15 April 2010 Plans Set for November Climate Change Conference   Over three days of meetings and late-night sessions in Bonn, Germany, more than 1,700 delegates from 175 nations hammered out climate change agreements that will help lay the groundwork for the next U.N. meeting on climate, COP-16, in Cancún, Mexico, in November. The Bonn gathering was the first preparatory meeting of the United Nations negotiating process since the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP-15) in Copenhagen last December.

15 April 2010 Energy Innovation Can Help Fight Climate Change  The nations of the Western Hemisphere have the chance to create progress in energy innovation while saving money and using local sources of energy, and that innovation will also help fight climate change, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says.

15 April 2010 Clinton at Energy, Climate Partnership of the Americas Meeting  At the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) Ministerial Secretary Clinton announces new energy initiatives.
 • Initiatives Under Energy, Climate Ministerial of the Americas

09 April 2010 Energy Ministers Meet to Partner on Climate Change More than 30 energy ministers and delegation leaders from across the Western Hemisphere will meet April 15–16 to deepen cooperation on energy security, alternative energy resources and confronting the effects of global climate change. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu is hosting the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas.

24 March 2010 Obama Administration Recording Greenhouse Gas Emissions  The United States is seeking to increase the number of industry sectors that must report greenhouse gas emissions under a new mandatory reporting system.The collected data would provide a better understanding of specific sources and help regulators and businesses develop effective ways to reduce emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the federal agency that regulates substances that could damage the environment.

05 April 2010 New Policies Help U.S. Address Climate Change   The Obama administration is implementing new fuel efficiency standards for cars - the first nationwide greenhouse gas emissions rules for vehicles in U.S. history. "This is a victory for our planet and everyone who knows that we must take action today and not push the challenge of climate change off to the next generation, " said Lisa Jackson, administrator of the EPA, which is implementing the new standards under the United States' Clean Air Act.

24 March 2010 Obama Administration Recording Greenhouse Gas Emissions  The United States is seeking to increase the number of industry sectors that must report greenhouse gas emissions under a new mandatory reporting system.The collected data would provide a better understanding of specific sources and help regulators and businesses develop effective ways to reduce emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the federal agency that regulates substances that could damage the environment.

16 March 2010 U.S. Geological Survey to Help Devise Climate Adaptation Projects  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has unique knowledge of how rising global temperatures are affecting America’s natural resources. Lately, USGS scientists have been tapped to also help devise strategies that will help nature adapt to climate change. A number of USGS climate adaptation projects aimed at protecting the nation’s natural resources against ecological havoc are under way — and efforts to boost funding for such work is an indication of how significant this new mandate has become.

08 March 2010 Department of Energy Senior Adviser Discusses Climate Change  Transcript of webchat with Dr. Holmes Hummel from 24 February.

01 March 2010 The European Media Center presents the following videos on climate change and the U.S. position on the Copenhagen conference:

VIDEO: Christina Simeone on the American public's engagement on climate change  
The European Media Center talks to Christina Simeone, Policy Director, Alliance for Climate Protection.

VIDEO: Andrew Light on the American public's engagement on climate change
The European Media Center talks to Andrew Light, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress

18 February 2010 Nearly 100 Nations to Reduce Emissions Under Copenhagen Accord  Nearly 100 countries have signed on to the Copenhagen Accord, a nonbinding agreement crafted in the final hours of the U.N. climate change conference in December 2009, meeting the first official deadline of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat. The UNFCCC is the international agreement ratified by 193 countries to control emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) that drive climate change.

09 February 2010 An Update on International Climate Change Negotiations  (Video from americanprogress.org) Todd Stern, U.S. Special Envoy for climate change, spoke about the lessons of the COP-15 summit in Copenhagen last December, the significance of the Copenhagen Accord and the path forward over the coming year and beyond.

05 February 2010 Statement by Todd Stern, U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change, on the Copenhagen Accord's January 31 Inscription Deadline

11 January 2010 Announcement on Travel of First U.S. Science Envoys  The U.S. Science Envoys Program is a core element of the U.S. commitment to global engagement in science and technology. American science and technology contributes to the global engine of progress and growth, and short-term visits by highly-respected American scientists have the potential to build bridges and help identify opportunities for sustained cooperation.

07 January 2010 Scientists Call for Regional Cooperation to Combat Climate Change  Climate scientists say regional governments need to include disaster management in their policies for coping with climate change. Governments are asking the scientific community to better advise them on reducing disaster risks.The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are drawing together scientists in Asia to both assess the risk of extreme weather and find ways to reduce the damage it can cause.

29 December 2009 Adaptation and the Copenhagen Accord  World leaders, delegates, media and protesters have gone from Copenhagen’s Bella Center, but the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP-15) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) did produce an outline that shows how the world might move forward on the problem of climate change.

23 December 2009  VIDEO : An Insiders View of COP-15   Jock Whittlesey, the Environment Counselor at the U.S. Embassy London, talks through his experience at the UN Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen

22 December 2009 Copenhagen Accord Politically Significant but Not Legally Binding  Last-minute agreement targets temperature rise, financing, deforestation

19 December 2009 Remarks by President Obama on Copenhagen Agreement  “Meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough” to fight global warming

19 December 2009 Obama Calls Climate Change Accord an Important Milestone

18 December 2009 Remarks by President Barack Obama at Copenhagen Summit

17 December 2009 Clinton Says U.S. Would Raise Billions for Developing Countries  The Obama administration is prepared to join other major economies in coming up with $100 billion per year over the next 10 years for a fund to help developing countries cope with climate-change needs. However, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says, any global climate-change agreement will also need to include transparency standards to help verify that each country is fulfilling its commitments.
 • Remarks by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

15 December 2009 Global Food Supply Under Stress from Climate Change

15 December 2009 The U.S. Is on Board  By U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

14 December 2009 Press Briefing from COP15 by Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change (links to COP15.state.gov)

14 December 2009  Behind the Scenes At COP-15  Watch our man in Copenhagen, Jock Whittlesey, the Environment Counselor at the U.S. Embassy London, reporting from COP-15 climate summit.

14 December 2009 Fact sheet: Clean Energy Technology Announcements  Today at the Copenhagen climate conference, on behalf of President Obama, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of a new initiative to promote clean energy technologies in developing countries.  Secretary Chu also welcomed progress under the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) and invited his counterparts in MEF and other countries to a first-ever Clean Energy Ministerial next year.

11 December 2009 Press Briefing from COP15 by Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change (links to COP15.state.gov)

09 December 2009 Press Briefing from COP15 by Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change (links to COP15.state.gov)

08 December 2009 Health Threat Allows U.S. Agency to Regulate Greenhouse Gases  Greenhouse gases threaten the health and welfare of the American people, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced December 7 after resolving a 10-year dispute that went to the U.S. Supreme Court over the EPA’s authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

07 December 2009 Press Briefing by Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change Jonathan Pershing  U.S. Delegation press conference at COP15 in Copenhagen on December 7, 2009.

04 December 2009 Statement from the White House Press Secretary on the United Nations Climate Change Conference

25 November 2009 U.S. Department of State Announces U.S. Center at Copenhagen Climate Change Negotiation and Launches COP-15 Web site  For the first time, the U.S. Department of State, in coordination with the White House and multiple federal departments and agencies, is organizing and hosting a U.S. Center at the annual Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The COP-15 Web site (www.cop15.state.gov) will serve as the central resource for public information about United States policy positions and U.S. Center programs at the Copenhagen negotiation.

ExchangesConnect
An International social network from the U.S. Department of State

18 November 2009 State Department launches second Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today launched the Department of State’s second annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest, “Change Your Climate, Change Our World,” with a video message on the ExchangesConnect social network at http://connect.state.gov/.
The contest is a call to action for global citizens around the world to engage in cross-cultural community building and mutual understanding. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State launched ExchangesConnect social network in October 2008 and it has attracted over 14,000 members.

People all over the world, ages 14 and older, are invited to submit their 2-minute videos to ExchangesConnect at http://connect.state.gov. Two international and two American winners (one in each of the two age categories: 14-17 and 18 and older) will receive one of four Grand Prizes: an all-expense-paid two-week international exchange program. Last year’s contest drew over 8,400 new ExchangesConnect members from 170 countries.

Video submissions will be accepted November 17, 2009 through January 12, 2010. The ExchangesConnect community will vote on video entries and an expert panel of judges, all ECA exchange program alumni, will rank the “top 40” videos based on originality, creativity, effectiveness and production quality.

12 November 2009 Mitigation Policy Central Challenge in Climate Change Negotiation  When negotiators meet in Copenhagen in December to discuss international action to fight global warming, the hottest debate will concern how to reduce the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Policies designed to reduce CO2 emissions and stabilize greenhouse gases at a level that is environmentally sustainable are crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change.

12 November 2009 Clinton Sees Copenhagen Climate Conference as Steppingstone  The U.N.-sponsored climate conference in December in Copenhagen can become the steppingstone to a full and binding legal climate agreement if it focuses on the right blend of practical approaches and principles, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says. “The United States has taken dramatic steps in the past year to change the way we use energy at home, and we have taken our seat at the table in international climate negotiations,” said Clinton in a press conference at the foreign ministers’ meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Singapore

12 November 2009 International Collaboration Key to Mitigating Climate Change (Part 1 in a series)   Human activities, especially those that burn fossil fuels and emit planet-warming carbon dioxide, are driving changes in the climate system. Mitigating these changes and their potentially disastrous effects is stimulating a new kind of technology cooperation among governments, industries and institutions.

09 November 2009 U.S. Domestic and International Actions on Climate Change  Remarks by Deputy Chief of Mission Richard LeBaron to the UK Environment Agency's Annual Conference.

The third World Climate Conference took place in Geneva, Switzerland, from 31 August to 04 September 2009. Full details of the Conference as well as news and reports are available at http://www.wmo.int/wcc3/. 

16 September 2009 The 21st-Century Challenge  Award-winning writer and journalist Michael Specter, writes for America.gov on the realities of global warming and how urgent steps must be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before it is too late.

28 August 2009 Adaptation to Climate Change Focus of Meeting in Geneva  For the first time since scientists determined unequivocally that the planet is warming, experts who collect and analyze climate data and those who manage the world's land and water resources will meet to decide how to help each other adapt to a changing climate. At the third World Climate Conference (WCC-3) in Geneva, August 31-September 4, some 1,500 policymakers and resource managers — the end users of climate forecasts — from more than 150 countries will join with scientific experts to begin the hard work of translating science into practical steps that people can use to adapt to a changing climate.

11 May 2009 New Research Reveals Droughts Common in West Africa  The decades-long drought that began in West Africa in the 1960s is not an anomaly compared with what the region has faced during the last three millennia. An analysis of sediment from a crater lake in Ghana shows periods of severe drought lasting from decades to centuries throughout the last 3,000 years, according to a study published in the April 17 issue of Science magazine.

29 April 2009 Chairman's Summary from the First Preparatory Meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate

24 April 2009 Washington Hosts Climate Change Talks with 17 Nations  The Obama administration is convening a meeting of 17 major nations April 27–28 in Washington to begin talks on international action to address climate change. The talks are a prelude to a U.N. meeting set for December in Copenhagen when a new global treaty on greenhouse gas reduction is expected to be forged.
 • Preparatory Session for the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate

21 April 200 Antarctic Treaty Nations Tackle Tourism, Protect Native Species  Native Antarctic animal and plant species will be better protected and the number of tourists to the planet's southernmost continent will be limited after a two-week meeting in Baltimore of representatives from 28 nations that have ratified the 50-year-old Antarctic Treaty.

30 March 2009 United States to Host Climate Change Forum in April  The United States has invited 16 major economies to a forum in April to discuss climate change and clean energy ventures, the White House said.

19 March 2009 "Planetary Skin" Tool Aims to Improve Response to Climate Change  Every day, on and above Earth, millions of sensors collect vast amounts of data representing interactions among the planet's systems of land, air, water and life. This is the kind of data needed to address the complexities of climate change or a move to a low-carbon-dioxide world economy, but gathering it is just the first step.

06 March 2009 Those Most Affected by Climate Change Seen as Unaware of Dangers  The issue of climate change has gained prominence in the Western press, but in many developing countries the topic rarely appears in headlines, and citizens remain relatively uninformed about the risks they face from environmental degradation.

27 January 2009 Obama Makes Climate Change a National Priority   Climate change is a planetary process, but its effects — sea level rise, shrinking glaciers, changes in plant and animal distribution, early-blooming trees, permafrost thaws — are regional and local. Some of the effects are already occurring, and the newly installed Obama administration, in power for just more than a week, is moving fast to put the United States in a leadership position to work with nations of the world and meet the challenges of climate change and energy security.

26 January 2009 Obama Sets Bold New Principles for U.S. Energy, Climate Policies  President Obama vowed the United States will lead the global fight against global warming as he moved emphatically to overturn Bush administration's energy and climate change policies. During his campaign, Obama promised to fight global warming, cut energy consumption and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources.

01-12 December 2008
United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań

UN Climate Change Conference 2010

UN Climate Change Conference 2010

Representatives from 192 countries travel to Mexico in November for another round of climate negotiations.  The 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place from 29 November to 10 December 2010.

• America.gov Energy & Enviroment 
• State.gov COP-16
  

Briefings and daily remarks (when available) are listed on the COP-16 Press Room page. 

The latest press materials are:

•  11 December 2010 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Cancun Agreements  
  
• 07 December 2010  Daily Briefing at COP-16 by Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern
• 06 December 2010  Daily Briefing at COP-16 by Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern
  

Reports & Publications

• U.S. Fast Start Climate Financing in Fiscal Year 2010
• Enhancing Capacity for Low Emission Development Strategies (PDF, 83Kb)
  
• COP-16 program (PDF, 576Kb)
  

Biographies

• Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change
• Jonathan Pershing, Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change