U.S. – Australia Relations

U.S. Joins Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Energy Technologies

Washington, D.C. — 28 July 2005

Partnership formed with Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea (920)

The United States has joined with Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea to create a new Asia-Pacific partnership on clean development, energy security and climate change, President Bush says.

In a statement released by the White House July 27, Bush said he has asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman to meet in the fall with their counterparts from the other five nations.

According to a White House fact sheet issued the same day, the new partnership will allow the nations to develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies to meet national pollution reduction, energy security and climate change concerns. Partners expect to make progress in areas such as:

-- energy efficiency,
-- methane capture and use,
-- rural/village energy systems,
-- clean coal,
-- civilian nuclear power,
-- advanced transportation,
-- liquefied natural gas,
-- geothermal building and home construction/operation,
-- bioenergy,
-- agriculture/forestry, and
-- hydropower/wind power/solar power.

The partnership also will focus on ways to combat extreme poverty as part of its strategy to improve the environment, according to the fact sheet.

"Stagnant economies are one of the world's greatest environmental threats, because people who lack food, shelter, and sanitation cannot be expected to preserve the environment at the expense of their own survival -- and poor societies cannot afford to invest in cleaner, more efficient technologies," the fact sheet says.

Following are the texts of the statement and the fact sheet:

(begin fact sheet)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
July 27, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

The United States has joined with Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea to create a new Asia-Pacific partnership on clean development, energy security, and climate change. This new results-oriented partnership will allow our nations to develop and accelerate deployment of cleaner, more efficient energy technologies to meet national pollution reduction, energy security, and climate change concerns in ways that reduce poverty and promote economic development. The six Asia-Pacific partners will build on our strong history of common approaches and demonstrated cooperation on clean energy technologies. I have directed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman to meet with their counterparts this fall to carry forward our new partnership and provide direction for our joint work.

(end statement)

(begin fact sheet)

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
July 27, 2005

Fact Sheet

President Bush and the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development

The United States is joining with Australia, China, India, Japan, and South Korea to accelerate clean development.

This partnership will focus on voluntary practical measures taken by these six countries in the Asia-Pacific region to create new investment opportunities, build local capacity, and remove barriers to the introduction of clean, more efficient technologies.

This partnership will help each country meet nationally designed strategies for improving energy security, reducing pollution, and addressing the long-term challenge of climate change.

We are focused on cooperation to achieve practical results.

The partnership will promote the development and deployment of existing and emerging cleaner, more efficient technologies and practices that will achieve practical results in areas such as:

-- Energy Efficiency,
-- Methane Capture and Use,
-- Rural/Village Energy Systems,
-- Clean Coal,
-- Civilian Nuclear Power,
-- Advanced Transportation,
-- Liquefied Natural Gas,
-- Geothermal Building and Home Construction/Operation,
-- Bioenergy,
-- Agriculture/Forestry, and
-- Hydropower/Wind Power/Solar Power

We are pursuing a balanced approach to overcome poverty with policies that promote clean development.

-- Overcoming extreme poverty will also improve the environment. Stagnant economies are one of the world's greatest environmental threats, because people who lack food, shelter, and sanitation cannot be expected to preserve the environment at the expense of their own survival -- and poor societies cannot afford to invest in cleaner, more efficient technologies.

-- The rapid, sustained economic progress of poor nations will lead to dramatic environmental improvements. And the best way to help nations develop, while limiting pollution and improving public health, is to promote technologies for generating energy that is clean, affordable, and secure.

-- Some have suggested the best solution to environmental challenges and climate change is to oppose development and put the world on an energy diet. But today, about two billion people have no access to any form of modern energy - and blocking that access would condemn them to permanent poverty, disease, high infant mortality, polluted water, and polluted air.

We are taking action on climate change in a broad, pro-growth context.

-- Climate change is a serious long-term issue, requiring sustained action over many generations by both developed and developing countries. Developing and deploying innovative technologies that are cleaner and more efficient are the keys to addressing our climate challenge.

-- We know the surface of the Earth is warmer and an increase in greenhouse gases caused by human activity is contributing to the problem. Though there have been past disagreements about the best way to address this issue, we are acting to help developing countries adopt new energy sources.

-- The greatest progress will be assured by a cooperative effort that combines our strategies with the best strategies of other nations to improve economic and energy security, reduce harmful air pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

-- We oppose any policy that would achieve reductions by putting Americans out of work or by simply shifting emissions from one country to another. Like us, developing countries are unlikely to join in approaches that foreclose their own economic growth and development.

(end fact sheet)

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

Original document from Washington Hyperfile [404].

Last update: Tuesday, 23 February 2010 GMT+1100