Hearing on China’s Energy Consumption and Opportunities for U.S.-China Cooperation to Address the Effects of China’s Energy Use
Opening Statement of C. Richard D’Amato, Commissioner
June 15, 2007
Washington, DC
Good morning, and welcome to the second day of our hearing on “China’s energy consumption and opportunities for U.S.-China cooperation to mitigate the effects of China’s energy use.” Yesterday, we heard testimony about the trends of Chinese energy use, as well as analyses of the strategic and environmental effects of that use. Today, we are asking our witnesses to take a forward-looking approach based on those these analyses and pinpoint strategies that can be used to address these effects. Moreover, we will hear testimony from witnesses engaged in U.S.-China cooperative programs on energy and the environment about what aspects of these programs have succeeded and what aspects have not, and how we can improve future cooperation.
I would like to emphasize my conviction that there is no greater challenge to the health and security of the United States than global climate change. The U.S. and China are the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases, and no international effort to curb the effects of carbon dioxide emissions can have great effect without the dedicated involvement of both countries. I applaud the release of climate change reports by th U.S. and China last week prior to the Group of Eight summit in Germany. Yet while is is laudable to acknowledge the problem our planet confronts, these proposed responses so far are insufficient to ensure the worldwide curbing of greenhouse gases to manage their many-faceted impacts. The U.S. and China can in the immediate future establish more stringent caps in an international effort to set the stage for a post-Kyoto accord - which has been identified already by President Bush -- in which all major polluters participate, from both the developed and developing world.
If we are to succeed in such efforts, it will be wholly insufficient to rely solely on actions by governments, as important as those are. It will be crucial for committed, concerted actions to emerge from within the ranks of society around the globe. Communities and businesses must take an active role in addressing this problem, and I believe that public-private partnerships in both China and the United States can contribute dramatically to reduction of pollution resulting from energy consumption. Indeed, U.S.-Chinese cooperation and leadership in this area is the critical keystone to worldwide success. Lacking such cooperation and leadership, the problem will likely grow along uncontrolled pathways, increasingly dire in their consequences. The good news is it appears we have the technologies, organizing skills, and level of understanding of what needs to be done to manage the problem, given the political will to do so. The bad news is we do not have the luxury of unlimited time to do so.
I would like to thank all of the witnesses for sharing their time, their knowledge, and their ideas with the Commission. We are especially pleased to welcome Governors Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Brian Schweitzer of Montana who will discuss their states’ energy-related interactions with China and strategies for mitigating the negative effects of energy use, and Mr. David Helvey from the Department of Defense, who will join us later this morning. Thank you for coming, and now I’ll turn the microphone over to my co-chair for today’s session,, Commissioner Dennis Shea.