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WWF CEO Carter Roberts testifies to Congress
WWF CEO Carter Roberts testimony to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
© Shaun Martin / WWF
After years of the U.S. failing to address the climate crisis under the previous administration, China, Brazil and other emerging economies are moving forward, setting ambitious emissions targets and disproving the conventional wisdom in Washington that says they do not take climate change seriously and are unwilling to take action, World Wildlife Fund CEO Carter Roberts told Congress today. As the Obama Administration and Congress reclaim U.S. leadership on the critical issue of climate change, they will find willing
allies in the developing world, Roberts said.
Read Carter Robert's full testimony to Congress
Photos and summary from the Select Committee Hearing on Emerging Economies and Global Warming
Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change given their heavy dependence on natural systems and agriculture for subsistence. Their capacity to prepare for and adapt to climate impacts, as well as their ability to respond to climate-related disasters, is very limited due to their relative lack of financial resources.
In his testimony, Roberts detailed aggressive goals and notable achievements by developing countries in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy. In many ways, he said, the developing world is doing far more than the U.S. to reduce emissions, reinforcing the need for the U.S. to move urgently in passing cap and trade legislation and assuming a leadership role in negotiations on a new global treaty.
China, which ranks 99th in the world in per capita emissions, has made significant progress in reducing carbon emissions intensity – a measure of emissions per unit of economic output that provides an even benchmark for comparing economies of varying size. Between 1990 and 2005, China cut the carbon emissions intensity of its economy in half and has pledged to cut it an additional 20 percent by 2010. By reaching the 2010 target, China will reduce its emissions by about 10 percent from business as usual. The improvements represent the greatest reduction in emissions intensity of any major economy during that period.
China has also set an ambitious target of generating 10 percent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2010 and 15 percent by 2020. Brazil, which has one of the world’s highest rates of renewable energy generation, currently produces 45 percent of its primary energy from renewable sources, mostly large-scale hydroelectric. By 2020, the country has committed to producing 15 percent of its electricity from wind, solar and small hydroelectric, which have smaller environmental footprints than large hydroelectric plants. The U.S., by comparison, generates only about 5 percent of its electricity from renewable sources, excluding large-scale hydroelectric, and has not set any nationwide targets for renewable generation.
WWF CEO Carter Roberts testimony to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
© Shaun Martin / WWF
Although Brazil generates nearly half of its electricity from non-emitting energy sources, it still ranks 7th in the world in absolute emissions, largely due to deforestation, the source of nearly 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions – more than the entire transportation sector. By taking aggressive steps, Brazil has reduced deforestation in the Amazon by 56 percent since 2004, representing a decrease in emissions of more than 1 billion tons, Roberts said. By 2017, Brazil has committed to reducing emissions by 70 percent compared to 2006 levels. That would avoid an estimated 4.8 billion tons of emissions, the equivalent of more than two-thirds of current annual emissions in the U.S.
South Africa, a nation heavily dependent on coal, has set an ambitious goal of achieving “peak, stabilization, and decline” of its emissions by the 2020-2025 time frame; India has committed to improving its energy efficiency by 20 percent by 2016; and Mexico has pledged to halve its emissions by 2050.
Developing countries, in particular the major emerging economies, are taking action to reduce their emissions, the U.S. must quickly follow suit
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