THE WHITE HOUSE WASH INQTON IDENT Co M - a 1 - '95 April 24 1998 MEMORANDUM FOR THE P FROM TODD STERI' SUBJECT Climate Change Weekly Report Communications V Networks We had a good week in the media The NBC and CBS evening news on Earth Day both did substantial features keyed off a new article in Nature on a study showing 1990 1995 and 1997 to have been the three warmest years since at least 1400 A D and the 1990s to have been the warmest overall decade since that time The study indicated that greenhouse gases are emerging as the dominant climate force in the 20th century Both networks used good visual footage including the recent break in the Antarctic ice shelf CNN meanwhile did an Earth Day feature showing the kinds ofproducts people can buy to make their homes more energy efficient right speech The Washington Post ran a very good editorial today about Sec Albright’s Earth Day speech on climate change In the speech Sec Albright announced a “diplomatic full court press” to encourage meaningful participation by developing countries including the planned appointment of a special State Department Coordinator for Global Climate Change The editorial also commended the Chile announcement which I discussed with the Post’s editorial writer Fred XHiat Hiatt last week V V suff Sfe nee petition OSTP did good work behind the scenes with the National Academy of Sciences to beat back the Seitz petition The New York Times ran a very good piece about the Academy disputing the petition circulated by a past NAS President The NAS noted that its most recent report on global warming done in 1991 concluded that greenhouse warming posed a threat sufficient to merit a prompt response ell Oil Shell announced that it was leaving the Global Climate Coalition the major anti-Kyoto corporate coalition Washington Post “Royal Dutch Shell Group yesterday dealt a blow to oil industry efforts to fight the Kyoto Treaty by withdrawing from a coalition of oil companies automakers electric utilities and others opposed to the treaty’s terms for reducing global warming ” Shell issued a very good statement £slk j PATH We are continuing work on a May 4 event for you in Los Angeles rolling out the Partnership for Advancing Technologies in Housing PATH pending a final go-ahead from scheduling Note that the LA City Council is expected to pass a resolution today declaring that they are formally Joining the PATH partnership H - 2 -I-R5 M Sj ralEnergy We have been working with several agencies on a federal energy plan lighting windows and a lot more that I hope to have to you within one-two weeks Congressional We have begun extensive stafflevel meetings in the House and Senate in support of our climate budget initiative making joint visits with Treasury on the tax incentives Sen Bumpers and Rep Fazio have agreed to circulate letters from Frank Raines explaining the high priority the Administration places on these budgetary requests and knocking down the bogus claim that our requests amount to “backdoor” implementation ofthe Kyoto treaty We are also staying in close touch with the industries and advocacy groups most interested in our budget initiative This week several Republican Senators led by Sen Hagel denounced Kyoto on the Senate floor Sen Kerry is writing an article for Roll Call supporting our efforts and responding to recent articles by Senators Murkowski and Hagel On Thursday Rep McIntosh chaired a hearing entitled “Kyoto Protocol Is the Clinton-Gore Administration Selling Out America ” Witnesses included Members among them Sen Hagel economists state local officials environmentalists and ordinary citizens Witnesses from EPA Labor and DoE also testified The hearing turned out to be more balanced than expected Diplomatic If G-8 There are G-8 preparatory meetings this weekend in London Jim Steinberg and Stu Eizenstat will be negotiating climate change language as part of both the Leaders’ Communique and the Statement ofForeign Ministers We are 1 pushing for strong language on why eveloping countries must participate and why it is in their self-interest to do so 2 pushing for the establishment of a G-8 working group focussing on developing countries and the so-called flexibility mechanisms in preparation for the Buenos Aires Conference in November and 3 pushing back on language proposed by the Brits suggesting that there should be limits on international trading There is deep suspicion in the EU that we intend to use trading to buy our way out of our obligations doing nothing at home That is obviously false and it is important for us to underscore the seriousness ofour commitment to taking action here at home At the same time it would be highly undesirable to limit trading interfering with the efficiency of a trading system and boosting the cost ofreductions worldwide The lower the worldwide cost ofreducing carbon emissions the more carbon we’ll all be able to reduce cc Vice President Erskine Bowles John Podesta Ron Klain Katie McGinty Gene Sperling Jim Steinberg Janet Yellen