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

Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky and Italian Minister for the Environment and Territory Altero Matteoli opened the meeting. Minister Matteoli and Under Secretary Dobriansky will also meet privately to discuss issues including U.S.-Italian cooperation under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and how the two countries can continue to help developing countries mitigate and adapt to climate variability and change.

Italian and American research managers, scientists, senior government officials, and energy technology experts from the public and private sectors are participating in the discussions.

The U.S. delegation includes representatives from the Department of State, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy, the U.S. Agency for International Development the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and academia. Representatives of several U.S.-based energy technology firms will be participating in the meeting’s sessions on climate-friendly technologies.

The Italian delegation includes representatives of the Ministry for the Environment and Territory, the Ministry for Economic Activities, Lombardia, Piemonte and Abruzzo Regions, National Scientific Research Institutes (CNR, INGV, ENEA, Universities of la Tuscia, Parthenope, Venice, Parma, Pisa, Politecnico of Milan, Fondazione Enrico Mattei) and important private enterprises (Eni, FIAT Centro Ricerche, Ansaldo, Solvay Solexis, Nuvera, Arcotronics Fuel Cell, ENEL, Pirelli, IVECO.

The United States and Italy continue to share a commitment to the ultimate goal of the UNFCCC. Italian-American cooperation is helping to achieve this goal by advancing our understanding of the climate system and bringing to the marketplace low-carbon energy technologies. The United States and Italy intend that their cooperative efforts will continue to produce information and technologies that help developing countries.

Italy and the United States remain committed to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in the near term, in addition to taking action that will address climate change in the long term.

In Venice, Italian and American experts will discuss areas including climate change adaptation, vulnerability, and mitigation, climate change modelling and forecasting, and the carbon cycle. On the technology side, the discussions will focus on hydrogen production, infrastructure, distribution and storage, and advanced energy technologies and renewable energy.

U.S.-Italian climate change research and technology cooperation is helping to advance important regional and multilateral efforts, such as the International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, and the Earth Observation initiative. The two countries will work together at the first ministerial meeting in Washington in November of the International Methane-to-Markets Partnership, an innovative collaboration that will produce cleaner energy and substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The United States and Italy look forward to continuing their collaboration at the UNFCCC Tenth Conference of the Parties in December in Buenos Aires, an important opportunity to strengthen global efforts under the UNFCCC.

Venice, October, 20, 2004

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The Honorable Altero Matteoli

Minister
Ministry for the Environment and Territory of Italy

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The Honorable Paula J. Dobriansky