Editor's Note: This guest post is written by Jeff Miotke, Climate Coordinator, United States Delegation.
As we in the U.S. delegation join the sea of delegates from 192 countries and the thousands of observers, students and NGO representatives at the Bella Conference Center, we know that many more are here in Copenhagen with a common purpose--addressing the global challenge of climate change. Our shared mission is no less than changing the future of our planet, from one that is fast overheating from excessive greenhouse gases, with dramatic and irreversible effects on our global climate, to a future of clean energy, green jobs, and a more peaceful and secure world.
As we work in the plenary sessions and smaller meetings to forge a new global climate agreement, our message to the world is abundantly evident – under President Obama, the U.S. has returned to its historic world leadership role in addressing global climate change. And for the first time, we are communicating that commitment to the attendees at the conference, through the new U.S. Center in the Bella Center, and to people around the world via our website and Facebook page.
We’ve also prepared a 17-minute video entitled “America’s Response to Climate Change,” documenting the actions the U.S. is taking on the ground to address climate change and that we are taking a leadership role in finding a global solution. Check out this highly compelling story.
At the U.S. Center, visitors can hear presentations on what strong actions the U.S. is taking at home to combat climate change, from carbon capture and storage at coal-fired power plants, to new developments in cook stoves which will reduce black carbon emissions, to innovations in energy efficiency for existing and new buildings. Scientific discussions include the latest observations on loss of sea ice, how climate change is affecting coral reefs worldwide, how forests can act as carbon sinks and how human activities have changed that balance. For audiences around the world, we are webcasting all the presentations in the Meeting Room on our website, allowing viewers to communicate with the speakers during the question and answer period.
Among the presenters are five Cabinet Secretaries; for example, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson spoke to a packed house about EPA’s plans to regulate carbon emissions in advance of a comprehensive climate and energy bill now under review by the U.S. Senate.
The Center also provides a wealth of scientific and policy information in the Reception Room, highlighted by the six-foot in diameter centerpiece, Science on a Sphere, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s extraordinary educational computer-driven globe. The U.S. Center is a lively place, open to any accredited visitor to the Bella Center, and this recent article on the Politico.com really seems to capture its energy and excitement.
So as the negotiating team works towards a comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen, we invite the world to share our vision of the future. If you are in Copenhagen, find us in the U.S. Center, and if not, join us at our official website. Linked together as one world, we will achieve our goal.