THE PRESIDENT’S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

ExecutiveOffice of the President

June 2013
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Table of Contents

CUT CARBON POLLUTIONIN AMERICA........................................................................................................................ 6

I. Deploying Clean Energy........................................................................................................................................ 6

Cutting Carbon Pollution from Power Plants........................................................................................... 6

Promoting American Leadership in Renewable Energy...................................................................... 6

Unlocking Long‐Term Investmentin Clean Energy Innovation....................................................... 7

II. Building a 21st‐Century Transportation Sector........................................................................................... 8

Increasing Fuel Economy Standards ........................................................................................................... 8

Developing and DeployingAdvanced Transportation Technologies............................................. 8

III. Cutting Energy Waste in Homes, Businesses, and Factories ................................................................. 9

Reducing Energy Bills for American Families and Businesses ......................................................... 9

IV. Reducing Other Greenhouse Gas Emissions ............................................................................................... 10

Curbing Emissions of Hydrofluorocarbons ............................................................................................. 10

Reducing Methane Emissions ....................................................................................................................... 10

Preserving the Role of Forests in Mitigating Climate Change .........................................................11

V. Leading at the Federal Level .............................................................................................................................11

Leading in Clean Energy..................................................................................................................................11

PREPARE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE...............................................12 I.

Building Stronger and Safer Communities and Infrastructure...........................................................12

Directing Agencies to Support Climate‐ResilientInvestment.........................................................12

Establishing a State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness .........13

Supporting Communities as they Prepare for Climate Impacts .....................................................13

Boosting the Resilience of Buildings and Infrastructure...................................................................13

Rebuilding and Learning from Hurricane Sandy..................................................................................13

II. Protecting our Economy and Natural Resources .....................................................................................14

Identifying Vulnerabilities of Key Sectors to Climate Change ......................................................... 14

Promoting Resilience in the Health Sector.............................................................................................. 14

Promoting Insurance Leadership for Climate Safety .......................................................................... 14

Conserving Land and Water Resources.................................................................................................... 15

Maintaining Agricultural Sustainability ................................................................................................... 15

Managing Drought ............................................................................................................................................. 15

Reducing Wildfire Risks .................................................................................................................................. 15

Preparing for Future Floods..........................................................................................................................15

III. Using Sound Science to Manage Climate Impacts ....................................................................................16
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Developing Actionable Climate Science.................................................................................................... 16

Assessing Climate‐Change Impacts in the United States ................................................................... 16

Launching a Climate Data Initiative ........................................................................................................... 16

Providing a Toolkit for Climate Resilience:.............................................................................................16

LEAD INTERNATIONALEFFORTS TO ADDRESS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE............................................17

I. Working with Other Countries to Take Action to Address Climate Change ..................................17

Enhancing Multilateral Engagement with Major Economies .......................................................... 17

Expanding Bilateral Cooperation with Major Emerging Economies ............................................ 17

Combatting Short‐Lived Climate Pollutants ........................................................................................... 17

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation................................................ 18

Expanding Clean Energy Use and Cut Energy Waste .......................................................................... 18

Negotiating Global Free Trade in Environmental Goods and Services........................................19

Phasing Out Subsidies that Encourage Wasteful Consumption of Fossil Fuels .......................20

Leading Global Sector Public Financing Towards Cleaner Energy ............................................... 20

Strengthening Global Resilience to Climate Change............................................................................ 20

Mobilizing Climate Finance ...........................................................................................................................20

II. Leading Efforts to Address Climate Change through InternationalNegotiations ......................21
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PRESIDENT OBAMA’S CLIMATE ACTION PLAN

“We, the people, still believe that our obligations as Americans are not just to ourselves, but to 

all posterity. We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so 

would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming 

judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires and crippling 

drought and more powerful storms.

The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America 

cannot resist this transition, we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that 

will power new jobs and new industries, we must claim its promise. That’s how we will maintain 

our economic vitality and our national treasure -- our forests and waterways, our croplands and 

snow-capped peaks. That is how we will preserve our planet, commanded to our care by God. 

That’s what will lend meaning to the creed our fathers once declared.”

-- President Obama, Second Inaugural Address, January 2013

THE CASE FOR ACTION

While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, we have a moral obligation to 

future generations to leave them a planet that is not polluted and damaged. Through steady, 

responsible action to cut carbon pollution, we can protect our children’s health and begin to slow 

the effects of climate change so that we leave behind a cleaner, more stable environment.

In 2009, President Obama made a pledge that by 2020, America would reduce its greenhouse gas 

emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels if all other major economies agreed to 

limit their emissions as well. Today, the President remains firmly committed to that goal and to

building on the progress of his first term to help put us and the world on a sustainable long-term 

trajectory. Thanks in part to the Administration’s success in doubling America’s use of wind, 

solar, and geothermal energy and in establishing the toughest fuel economy standards in our 

history, we are creating new jobs, building new industries, and reducing dangerous carbon 

pollution which contributes to climate change. In fact, last year, carbon emissions from the

energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades. At the same time, while there is more work 

to do, we are more energy secure than at any time in recent history. In 2012, America’s net oil 

imports fell to the lowest level in 20 years and we have become the world’s leading producer of 

natural gas – the cleanest-burning fossil fuel.

While this progress is encouraging, climate change is no longer a distant threat – we are already 

feeling its impacts across the country and the world. Last year was the warmest year ever in the 

contiguous United States and about one-third of all Americans experienced 10 days or more of

100-degree heat. The 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15 years. Asthma rates 

have doubled in the past 30 years and our children will suffer more asthma attacks as air 

pollution gets worse. And increasing floods, heat waves, and droughts have put farmers out of 

business, which is already raising food prices dramatically.

These changes come with far-reaching consequences and real economic costs. Last year alone, 

there were 11 different weather and climate disaster events with estimated losses exceeding $1 

billion each across the United States. Taken together, these 11 events resulted in over $110 

billion in estimated damages, which would make it the second-costliest year on record.
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In short, America stands at a critical juncture. Today, President Obama is putting forward a

broad-based plan to cut the carbon pollution that causes climate change and affects public health. 

Cutting carbon pollution will help spark business innovation to modernize our power plants, 

resulting in cleaner forms of American-made energy that will create good jobs and cut our 

dependence on foreign oil. Combined with the Administration’s other actions to increase the 

efficiency of our cars and household appliances, the President’s plan will reduce the amount of 

energy consumed by American families, cutting down on their gas and utility bills. The plan, 

which consists of a wide variety of executive actions, has three key pillars:

1) Cut Carbon Pollution in America: In 2012, U.S. carbon emissions fell to the lowest level

in two decades even as the economy continued to grow. To build on this progress, the Obama 

Administration is putting in place tough new rules to cut carbon pollution – just like we have 

for other toxins like mercury and arsenic – so we protect the health of our children and move 

our economy toward American-made clean energy sources that will create good jobs and 

lower home energy bills.

2) Prepare the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change: Even as we take new steps 

to reduce carbon pollution, we must also prepare for the impacts of a changing climate that 

are already being felt across the country. Moving forward, the Obama Administration will 

help state and local governments strengthen our roads, bridges, and shorelines so we can 

better protect people’s homes, businesses and way of life from severe weather.

3) Lead International Efforts to Combat Global Climate Change and Prepare for its

Impacts: Just as no country is immune from the impacts of climate change, no country can 

meet this challenge alone. That is why it is imperative for the United States to couple action 

at home with leadership internationally. America must help forge a truly global solution to 

this global challenge by galvanizing international action to significantly reduce emissions 

(particularly among the major emitting countries), prepare for climate impacts, and drive 

progress through the international negotiations.

Climate change represents one of our greatest challenges of our time, but it is a challenge 

uniquely suited to America’s strengths. Our scientists will design new fuels, and our farmers will 

grow them. Our engineers to devise new sources of energy, our workers will build them, and our 

businesses will sell them. All of us will need to do our part. If we embrace this challenge, we will 

not just create new jobs and new industries and keep America on the cutting edge; we will save 

lives, protect and preserve our treasured natural resources, cities, and coastlines for future 

generations.

What follows is a blueprint for steady, responsible national and international action to slow the 

effects of climate change so we leave a cleaner, more stable environment for future generations. 

It highlights progress already set in motion by the Obama Administration to advance these goals 

and sets forth new steps to achieve them.
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CUT CARBON POLLUTION IN AMERICA

In 2009, President Obama made a commitment to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in the 

range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. The President remains firmly committed to 

achieving that goal. While there is more work to do, the Obama Administration has already made 

significant progress by doubling generation of electricity from wind, solar, and geothermal, and 

by establishing historic new fuel economy standards. Building on these achievements, this 

document outlines additional steps the Administration will take – in partnership with states, local 

communities, and the private sector – to continue on a path to meeting the President’s 2020

goal.

I. Deploying Clean Energy

Cutting Carbon Pollution from Power Plants: Power plants are the largest concentrated source 

of emissions in the United States, together accounting for roughly one-third of all domestic 

greenhouse gas emissions. We have already set limits for arsenic, mercury, and lead, but there is 

no federal rule to prevent power plants from releasing as much carbon pollution as they want. 

Many states, local governments, and companies have taken steps to move to cleaner electricity 

sources. More than 35 states have renewable energy targets in place, and more than 25 have set 

energy efficiency targets.

Despite this progress at the state level, there are no federal standards in place to reduce carbon 

pollution from power plants. In April 2012, as part of a continued effort to modernize our electric 

power sector, the Obama Administration proposed a carbon pollution standard for new power 

plants. The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal reflects and reinforces the ongoing

trend towards cleaner technologies, with natural gas increasing its share of electricity generation 

in recent years, principally through market forces and renewables deployment growing rapidly to 

account for roughly half of new generation capacity installed in 2012.

With abundant clean energy solutions available, and building on the leadership of states and 

local governments, we can make continued progress in reducing power plant pollution to 

improve public health and the environment while supplying the reliable, affordable power 

needed for economic growth. By doing so, we will continue to drive American leadership in 

clean energy technologies, such as efficient natural gas, nuclear, renewables, and clean coal 

technology.

To accomplish these goals, President Obama is issuing a Presidential Memorandum directing the 

Environmental Protection Agency to work expeditiously to complete carbon pollution standards 

for both new and existing power plants. This work will build on the successful first-term effort to 

develop greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for cars and trucks. In developing the 

standards, the President has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to build on state 

leadership, provide flexibility, and take advantage of a wide range of energy sources and 

technologies including many actions in this plan.

Promoting American Leadership in Renewable Energy: During the President’s first term, the 

United States more than doubled generation of electricity from wind, solar, and geothermal 

sources. To ensure America’s continued leadership position in clean energy, President Obama 

has set a goal to double renewable electricity generation once again by 2020. In order to meet
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this ambitious target, the Administration is announcing a number of new efforts in the following 

key areas:

• Accelerating Clean Energy Permitting: In 2012 the President set a goal to issue permits 

for 10 gigawatts of renewables on public lands by the end of the year. The Department of

the Interior achieved this goal ahead of schedule and the President has directed it to 

permit an additional 10 gigawatts by 2020. Since 2009, the Department of Interior has

approved 25 utility-scale solar facilities, nine wind farms, and 11 geothermal plants, 

which will provide enough electricity to power 4.4 million homes and support an 

estimated 17,000 jobs. The Administration is also taking steps to encourage the 

development of hydroelectric power at existing dams. To develop and demonstrate 

improved permitting procedures for such projects, the Administration will designate the 

Red Rock Hydroelectric Plant on the Des Moines River in Iowa to participate in its 

Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard for high-priority projects. Also, the Department of 

Defense – the single largest consumer of energy in the United States – is committed to 

deploying 3 gigawatts of renewable energy on military installations, including solar, 

wind, biomass, and geothermal, by 2025. In addition, federal agencies are setting a new 

goal of reaching 100 megawatts of installed renewable capacity across the federally 

subsidized housing stock by 2020. This effort will include conducting a survey of current 

projects in order to track progress and facilitate the sharing of best practices.

• Expanding and Modernizing the Electric Grid: Upgrading the country’s electric grid 

is critical to our efforts to make electricity more reliable, save consumers money on their 

energy bills, and promote clean energy sources. To advance these important goals, 

President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum this month that directs federal 

agencies to streamline the siting, permitting and review process for transmission projects 

across federal, state, and tribal governments.

Unlocking Long-Term Investment in Clean Energy Innovation: The Fiscal Year 2014

Budget continues the President’s commitment to keeping the United States at the forefront of 

clean energy research, development, and deployment by increasing funding for clean energy 

technology across all agencies by 30 percent, to approximately $7.9 billion. This includes 

investment in a range of energy technologies, from advanced biofuels and emerging nuclear 

technologies – including small modular reactors – to clean coal. To continue America’s 

leadership in clean energy innovation, the Administration will also take the following steps:

• Spurring Investment in Advanced Fossil Energy Projects: In the coming weeks, the 

Department of Energy will issue a Federal Register Notice announcing a draft of a 

solicitation that would make up to $8 billion in (self-pay) loan guarantee authority available 

for a wide array of advanced fossil energy projects under its Section 1703 loan guarantee 

program. This solicitation is designed to support investments in innovative technologies that 

can cost-effectively meet financial and policy goals, including the avoidance, reduction, or

sequestration of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. The proposed solicitation will 

cover a broad range of advanced fossil energy projects. Reflecting the Department’s 

commitment to continuous improvement in program management, it will take comment on 

the draft solicitation, with a plan to issue a final solicitation by the fall of 2013.

• Instituting a Federal Quadrennial Energy Review: Innovation and new sources of 

domestic energy supply are transforming the nation’s energy marketplace, creating economic
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opportunities at the same time they raise environmental challenges. To ensure that federal 

energy policy meets our economic, environmental, and security goals in this changing 

landscape, the Administration will conduct a Quadrennial Energy Review which will be led 

by the White House Domestic Policy Council and Office of Science and Technology Policy, 

supported by a Secretariat established at the Department of Energy, and involving the robust 

engagement of federal agencies and outside stakeholders. This first-ever review will focus on 

infrastructure challenges, and will identify the threats, risks, and opportunities for U.S.

energy and climate security, enabling the federal government to translate policy goals into a 

set of analytically based, clearly articulated, sequenced and integrated actions, and proposed 

investments over a four-year planning horizon.

II. Building a 21st-Century Transportation Sector

Increasing Fuel Economy Standards: Heavy-duty vehicles are currently the second largest 

source of greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation sector. In 2011, the Obama 

Administration finalized the first-ever fuel economy standards for Model Year 2014-2018 for 

heavy-duty trucks, buses, and vans. These standards will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 

approximately 270 million metric tons and save 530 million barrels of oil. During the President’s 

second term, the Administration will once again partner with industry leaders and other key 

stakeholders to develop post-2018 fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles to further 

reduce fuel consumption through the application of advanced cost-effective technologies and 

continue efforts to improve the efficiency of moving goods across the United States.

The Obama Administration has already established the toughest fuel economy standards for 

passenger vehicles in U.S. history. These standards require an average performance equivalent of

54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which will save the average driver more than $8,000 in fuel costs 

over the lifetime of the vehicle and eliminate six billion metric tons of carbon pollution – more 

than the United States emits in an entire year.

Developing and Deploying Advanced Transportation Technologies: Biofuels have an 

important role to play in increasing our energy security, fostering rural economic development,

and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. That is why the 

Administration supports the Renewable Fuels Standard, and is investing in research and 

development to help bring next-generation biofuels on line. For example, the United States Navy 

and Departments of Energy and Agriculture are working with the private sector to accelerate the 

development of cost-competitive advanced biofuels for use by the military and commercial 

sectors. More broadly, the Administration will continue to leverage partnerships between the 

private and public sectors to deploy cleaner fuels, including advanced batteries and fuel cell 

technologies, in every transportation mode. The Department of Energy’s eGallon informs drivers 

about electric car operating costs in their state – the national average is only $1.14 per gallon of 

gasoline equivalent, showing the promise for consumer pocketbooks of electric-powered 

vehicles. In addition, in the coming months, the Department of Transportation will work with 

other agencies to further explore strategies for integrating alternative fuel vessels into the U.S. 

flag fleet. Further, the Administration will continue to work with states, cities and towns through 

the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the 

Environmental Protection Agency to improve transportation options, and lower transportation 

costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.
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III. Cutting Energy Waste in Homes, Businesses, and Factories

Reducing Energy Bills for American Families and Businesses: Energy efficiency is one of the 

clearest and most cost-effective opportunities to save families money, make our businesses more 

competitive, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In the President’s first term, the Department

of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development completed efficiency 

upgrades in more than one million homes, saving many families more than $400 on their heating 

and cooling bills in the first year alone. The Administration will take a range of new steps geared 

towards achieving President Obama’s goal of doubling energy productivity by 2030 relative to

2010 levels:

• Establishing a New Goal for Energy Efficiency Standards: In President Obama’s first 

term, the Department of Energy established new minimum efficiency standards for 

dishwashers, refrigerators, and many other products. Through 2030, these standards will 

cut consumers’ electricity bills by hundreds of billions of dollars and save enough 

electricity to power more than 85 million homes for two years. To build on this success, 

the Administration is setting a new goal: Efficiency standards for appliances and federal 

buildings set in the first and second terms combined will reduce carbon pollution by at 

least 3 billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030 – equivalent to nearly one-half of the 

carbon pollution from the entire U.S. energy sector for one year – while continuing to cut 

families’ energy bills.

• Reducing Barriers to Investment in Energy Efficiency: Energy efficiency upgrades 

bring significant cost savings, but upfront costs act as a barrier to more widespread 

investment. In response, the Administration is committing to a number of new executive 

actions. As soon as this fall, the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service will 

finalize a proposed update to its Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program to 

provide up to $250 million for rural utilities to finance efficiency investments by 

businesses and homeowners across rural America. The Department is also streamlining 

its Rural Energy for America program to provide grants and loan guarantees directly to 

agricultural producers and rural small businesses for energy efficiency and renewable 

energy systems.

In addition, the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s efforts include a $23 

million Multifamily Energy Innovation Fund designed to enable affordable housing 

providers, technology firms, academic institutions, and philanthropic organizations to test 

new approaches to deliver cost-effective residential energy. In order to advance ongoing 

efforts and bring stakeholders together, the Federal Housing Administration will convene 

representatives of the lending community and other key stakeholders for a mortgage 

roundtable in July to identify options for factoring energy efficiency into the mortgage 

underwriting and appraisal process upon sale or refinancing of new or existing homes.

• Expanding the President’s Better Buildings Challenge: The Better Buildings 

Challenge, focused on helping American commercial and industrial buildings become at 

least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020, is already showing results. More than 120 

diverse organizations, representing over 2 billion square feet are on track to meet the

2020 goal: cutting energy use by an average 2.5 percent annually, equivalent to about $58 

million in energy savings per year. To continue this success, the Administration will 

expand the program to multifamily housing – partnering both with private and affordable
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building owners and public housing agencies to cut energy waste. In addition, the 

Administration is launching the Better Buildings Accelerators, a new track that will 

support and encourage adoption of State and local policies to cut energy waste, building 

on the momentum of ongoing efforts at that level.

IV. Reducing Other Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Curbing Emissions of Hydrofluorocarbons: Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which are primarily 

used for refrigeration and air conditioning, are potent greenhouse gases. In the United States, 

emissions of HFCs are expected to nearly triple by 2030, and double from current levels of 1.5 

percent of greenhouse gas emissions to 3 percent by 2020.

To reduce emissions of HFCs, the United States can and will lead both through international 

diplomacy as well as domestic actions. In fact, the Administration has already acted by including 

a flexible and powerful incentive in the fuel economy and carbon pollution standards for cars and 

trucks to encourage automakers to reduce HFC leakage and transition away from the most potent 

HFCs in vehicle air conditioning systems. Moving forward, the Environmental Protection

Agency will use its authority through the Significant New Alternatives Policy Program to 

encourage private sector investment in low-emissions technology by identifying and approving 

climate-friendly chemicals while prohibiting certain uses of the most harmful chemical 

alternatives. In addition, the President has directed his Administration to purchase cleaner 

alternatives to HFCs whenever feasible and transition over time to equipment that uses safer and 

more sustainable alternatives.

Reducing Methane Emissions: Curbing emissions of methane is critical to our overall effort to 

address global climate change. Methane currently accounts for roughly 9 percent of domestic 

greenhouse gas emissions and has a global warming potential that is more than 20 times greater 

than carbon dioxide. Notably, since 1990, methane emissions in the United States have decreased 

by 8 percent. This has occurred in part through partnerships with industry, both at home and 

abroad, in which we have demonstrated that we have the technology to deliver emissions 

reductions that benefit both our economy and the environment. To achieve additional progress, 

the Administration will:

• Developing an Interagency Methane Strategy: The Environmental Protection Agency 

and the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, Labor, and Transportation will 

develop a comprehensive, interagency methane strategy. The group will focus on 

assessing current emissions data, addressing data gaps, identifying technologies and best 

practices for reducing emissions, and identifying existing authorities and incentive-based 

opportunities to reduce methane emissions.

• Pursuing a Collaborative Approach to Reducing Emissions: Across the economy, 

there are multiple sectors in which methane emissions can be reduced, from coal mines 

and landfills to agriculture and oil and gas development. For example, in the agricultural 

sector, over the last three years, the Environmental Protection Agency and the 

Department of Agriculture have worked with the dairy industry to increase the adoption 

of methane digesters through loans, incentives, and other assistance. In addition, when it 

comes to the oil and gas sector, investments to build and upgrade gas pipelines will not 

only put more Americans to work, but also reduce emissions and enhance economic 

productivity. For example, as part of the Administration’s effort to improve federal
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permitting for infrastructure projects, the interagency Bakken Federal Executive Group is 

working with industry, as well as state and tribal agencies, to advance the production of 

oil and gas in the Bakken while helping to reduce venting and flaring. Moving forward,

as part of the effort to develop an interagency methane strategy, the Obama 

Administration will work collaboratively with state governments, as well as the private 

sector, to reduce emissions across multiple sectors, improve air quality, and achieve 

public health and economic benefits.

Preserving the Role of Forests in Mitigating Climate Change: America’s forests play a 

critical role in addressing carbon pollution, removing nearly 12 percent of total U.S. greenhouse 

gas emissions each year. In the face of a changing climate and increased risk of wildfire, 

drought, and pests, the capacity of our forests to absorb carbon is diminishing. Pressures to 

develop forest lands for urban or agricultural uses also contribute to the decline of forest carbon 

sequestration. Conservation and sustainable management can help to ensure our forests continue 

to remove carbon from the atmosphere while also improving soil and water quality, reducing 

wildfire risk, and otherwise managing forests to be more resilient in the fact of climate change. 

The Administration is working to identify new approaches to protect and restore our forests, as 

well as other critical landscapes including grasslands and wetlands, in the face of a changing 

climate.

V. Leading at the Federal Level

Leading in Clean Energy: President Obama believes that the federal government must be a 

leader in clean energy and energy efficiency. Under the Obama Administration, federal agencies 

have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15 percent – the equivalent of permanently 

taking 1.5 million cars off the road. To build on this record, the Administration is establishing a 

new goal: The federal government will consume 20 percent of its electricity from renewable 

sources by 2020 – more than double the current goal of 7.5 percent. In addition, the federal 

government will continue to pursue greater energy efficiency that reduces greenhouse gas 

emissions and saves taxpayer dollars.

Federal Government Leadership in Energy Efficiency: On December 2, 2011, President 

Obama signed a memorandum entitled “Implementation of Energy Savings Projects and 

Performance-Based Contracting for Energy Savings,” challenging federal agencies, in support of 

the Better Buildings Challenge, to enter into $2 billion worth of performance-based contracts 

within two years. Performance contracts drive economic development, utilize private sector 

innovation, and increase efficiency at minimum costs to the taxpayer, while also providing longterm savings in energy costs. Federal agencies have committed to a pipeline of nearly $2.3

billion from over 300 reported projects. In coming months, the Administration will take a 

number of actions to strengthen efforts to promote energy efficiency, including through 

performance contracting. For example, in order to increase access to capital markets for 

investments in energy efficiency, the Administration will initiate a partnership with the private 

sector to work towards a standardized contract to finance federal investments in energy 

efficiency. Going forward, agencies will also work together to synchronize building codes –

leveraging those policies to improve the efficiency of federally owned and supported building 

stock. Finally, the Administration will leverage the “Green Button” standard – which aggregates 

energy data in a secure, easy to use format – within federal facilities to increase their ability to 

manage energy consumption, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and meet sustainability goals.
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PREPARE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

As we act to curb the greenhouse gas pollution that is driving climate change, we must also 

prepare for the impacts that are too late to avoid. Across America, states, cities, and communities 

are taking steps to protect themselves by updating building codes, adjusting the way they manage 

natural resources, investing in more resilient infrastructure, and planning for rapid recovery from 

damages that nonetheless occur. The federal government has an important role to play in 

supporting community-based preparedness and resilience efforts, establishing policies that 

promote preparedness, protecting critical infrastructure and public resources, supporting science 

and research germane to preparedness and resilience, and ensuring that federal operations and 

facilities continue to protect and serve citizens in a changing climate.

The Obama Administration has been working to strengthen America’s climate resilience since its 

earliest days. Shortly after coming into office, President Obama established an Interagency 

Climate Change Adaptation Task Force and, in October 2009, the President signed an Executive 

Order directing it to recommend ways federal policies and programs can better prepare the

Nation for change. In May 2010, the Task Force hosted the first National Climate Adaptation 

Summit, convening local and regional stakeholders and decision-makers to identify challenges 

and opportunities for collaborative action.

In February 2013, federal agencies released Climate Change Adaptation Plans for the first time, 

outlining strategies to protect their operations, missions, and programs from the effects of 

climate change. The Department of Transportation, for example, is developing guidance for 

incorporating climate change and extreme weather event considerations into coastal highway 

projects, and the Department of Homeland Security is evaluating the challenges of changing 

conditions in the Arctic and along our Nation’s borders. Agencies have also partnered with 

communities through targeted grant and technical-assistance programs—for example, the 

Environmental Protection Agency is working with low-lying communities in North Carolina to 

assess the vulnerability of infrastructure investments to sea level rise and identify solutions to 

reduce risks. And the Administration has continued, through the U.S. Global Change Research 

Program, to support science and monitoring to expand our understanding of climate change and 

its impacts.

Going forward, the Administration will expand these efforts into three major, interrelated 

initiatives to better prepare America for the impacts of climate change:

I. Building Stronger and Safer Communities and Infrastructure

By necessity, many states, cities, and communities are already planning and preparing for the 

impacts of climate change. Hospitals must build capacity to serve patients during more frequent 

heat waves, and urban planners must plan for the severe storms that infrastructure will need to 

withstand. Promoting on-the-ground planning and resilient infrastructure will be at the core of 

our work to strengthen America’s communities. Specific actions will include:

Directing Agencies to Support Climate-Resilient Investment: The President will direct

federal agencies to identify and remove barriers to making climate-resilient investments; identify 

and remove counterproductive policies that increase vulnerabilities; and encourage and support 

smarter, more resilient investments, including through agency grants, technical assistance, and 

other programs, in sectors from transportation and water management to conservation and
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disaster relief. Agencies will also be directed to ensure that climate risk-management 

considerations are fully integrated into federal infrastructure and natural resource management 

planning. To begin meeting this challenge, the Environmental Protection Agency is committing 

to integrate considerations of climate change impacts and adaptive measures into major 

programs, including its Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds and grants for 

brownfields cleanup, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development is already 

requiring grant recipients in the Hurricane Sandy–affected region to take sea-level rise into 

account.

Establishing a State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness: To 

help agencies meet the above directive and to enhance local efforts to protect communities, the 

President will establish a short-term task force of state, local, and tribal officials to advise on key 

actions the federal government can take to better support local preparedness and resiliencebuilding efforts. The task force will provide recommendations on removing barriers to resilient

investments, modernizing grant and loan programs to better support local efforts, and developing 

information and tools to better serve communities.

Supporting Communities as they Prepare for Climate Impacts: Federal agencies will 

continue to provide targeted support and assistance to help communities prepare for climatechange impacts. For example, throughout 2013, the Department of Transportation’s Federal 

Highway Administration is working with 19 state and regional partners and other federal 

agencies to test approaches for assessing local transportation infrastructure vulnerability to 

climate change and extreme weather and for improving resilience. The Administration will 

continue to assist tribal communities on preparedness through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

including through pilot projects and by supporting participation in federal initiatives that assess 

climate change vulnerabilities and develop regional solutions. Through annual federal agency 

“Environmental Justice Progress Reports,” the Administration will continue to identify 

innovative ways to help our most vulnerable communities prepare for and recover from the 

impacts of climate change. The importance of critical infrastructure independence was brought 

home in the Sandy response. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department 

of Energy are working with the private sector to address simultaneous restoration of electricity 

and fuels supply.

Boosting the Resilience of Buildings and Infrastructure: The National Institute of Standards 

and Technology will convene a panel on disaster-resilience standards to develop a 

comprehensive, community-based resilience framework and provide guidelines for consistently 

safe buildings and infrastructure – products that can inform the development of private-sector 

standards and codes. In addition, building on federal agencies’ “Climate Change Adaptation 

Plans,” the Administration will continue efforts to increase the resilience of federal facilities and 

infrastructure. The Department of Defense, for example, is assessing the relative vulnerability of 

its coastal facilities to climate change. In addition, the President’s FY 2014 Budget proposes

$200 million through the Transportation Leadership Awards program for Climate Ready 

Infrastructure in communities that build enhanced preparedness into their planning efforts, and 

that have proposed or are ready to break ground on infrastructure projects, including transit and 

rail, to improve resilience.

Rebuilding and Learning from Hurricane Sandy: In August 2013, President Obama’s 

Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force will deliver to the President a rebuilding strategy to be 

implemented in Sandy-affected regions and establishing precedents that can be followed
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elsewhere. The Task Force and federal agencies are also piloting new ways to support resilience 

in the Sandy-affected region; the Task Force, for example, is hosting a regional “Rebuilding by 

Design” competition to generate innovative solutions to enhance resilience. In the transportation 

sector, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is dedicating

$5.7 billion to four of the area’s most impacted transit agencies, of which $1.3 billion will be 

allocated to locally prioritized projects to make transit systems more resilient to future disasters. 

FTA will also develop a competitive process for additional funding to identify and support 

larger, stand-alone resilience projects in the impacted region. To build coastal resilience, the 

Department of the Interior will launch a $100 million competitive grant program to foster 

partnerships and promote resilient natural systems while enhancing green spaces and wildlife 

habitat near urban populations. An additional $250 million will be allocated to support projects 

for coastal restoration and resilience across the region. Finally, with partners, the U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers is conducting a $20 million study to identify strategies to reduce the

vulnerability of Sandy-affected coastal communities to future large-scale flood and storm events, 

and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will strengthen long-term coastal 

observations and provide technical assistance to coastal communities.

II. Protecting our Economy and Natural Resources

Climate change is affecting nearly every aspect of our society, from agriculture and tourism to 

the health and safety of our citizens and natural resources. To help protect critical sectors, while 

also targeting hazards that cut across sectors and regions, the Administration will mount a set of 

sector- and hazard-specific efforts to protect our country’s vital assets, to include:

Identifying Vulnerabilities of Key Sectors to Climate Change: The Department of Energy 

will soon release an assessment of climate-change impacts on the energy sector, including

power-plant disruptions due to drought and the disruption of fuel supplies during severe storms, 

as well as potential opportunities to make our energy infrastructure more resilient to these risks. 

In 2013, the Department of Agriculture and Department of the Interior released several studies 

outlining the challenges a changing climate poses for America’s agricultural enterprise, forests, 

water supply, wildlife, and public lands. This year and next, federal agencies will report on the 

impacts of climate change on other key sectors and strategies to address them, with priority 

efforts focusing on health, transportation, food supplies, oceans, and coastal communities.

Promoting Resilience in the Health Sector: The Department of Health and Human Services 

will launch an effort to create sustainable and resilient hospitals in the face of climate change. 

Through a public-private partnership with the healthcare industry, it will identify best practices 

and provide guidance on affordable measures to ensure that our medical system is resilient to 

climate impacts. It will also collaborate with partner agencies to share best practices among 

federal health facilities. And, building on lessons from pilot projects underway in 16 states, it 

will help train public-health professionals and community leaders to prepare their communities 

for the health consequences of climate change, including through effective communication of 

health risks and resilience measures.

Promoting Insurance Leadership for Climate Safety: Recognizing the critical role that the 

private sector plays in insuring assets and enabling rapid recovery after disasters, the 

Administration will convene representatives from the insurance industry and other stakeholders 

to explore best practices for private and public insurers to manage their own processes and
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investments to account for climate change risks and incentivize policy holders to take steps to 

reduce their exposure to these risks.

Conserving Land and Water Resources: America’s ecosystems are critical to our nation’s 

economy and the lives and health of our citizens. These natural resources can also help 

ameliorate the impacts of climate change, if they are properly protected. The Administration has 

invested significantly in conserving relevant ecosystems, including working with Gulf State 

partners after the Deepwater Horizon spill to enhance barrier islands and marshes that protect 

communities from severe storms. The Administration is also implementing climate-adaptation 

strategies that promote resilience in fish and wildlife populations, forests and other plant

communities, freshwater resources, and the ocean. Building on these efforts, the President is also 

directing federal agencies to identify and evaluate additional approaches to improve our natural 

defenses against extreme weather, protect biodiversity and conserve natural resources in the face 

of a changing climate, and manage our public lands and natural systems to store more carbon.

Maintaining Agricultural Sustainability: Building on the existing network of federal climatescience research and action centers, the Department of Agriculture is creating seven new 

Regional Climate Hubs to deliver tailored, science-based knowledge to farmers, ranchers, and 

forest landowners. These hubs will work with universities and other partners, including the 

Department of the Interior and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to support 

climate resilience. Its Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Department of the 

Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation are also providing grants and technical support to agricultural 

water users for more water-efficient practices in the face of drought and long-term climate 

change.

Managing Drought: Leveraging the work of the National Disaster Recovery Framework for 

drought, the Administration will launch a cross-agency National Drought Resilience Partnership 

as a “front door” for communities seeking help to prepare for future droughts and reduce drought 

impacts. By linking information (monitoring, forecasts, outlooks, and early warnings) with 

drought preparedness and longer-term resilience strategies in critical sectors, this effort will help 

communities manage drought-related risks.

Reducing Wildfire Risks: With tribes, states, and local governments as partners, the 

Administration has worked to make landscapes more resistant to wildfires, which are 

exacerbated by heat and drought conditions resulting from climate change. Federal agencies will 

expand and prioritize forest and rangeland restoration efforts in order to make natural areas and 

communities less vulnerable to catastrophic fire. The Department of the Interior and Department 

of Agriculture, for example, are launching a Western Watershed Enhancement Partnership – a 

pilot effort in five western states to reduce wildfire risk by removing extra brush and other 

flammable vegetation around critical areas such as water reservoirs.

Preparing for Future Floods: To ensure that projects funded with taxpayer dollars last as long 

as intended, federal agencies will update their flood-risk reduction standards for federally funded 

projects to reflect a consistent approach that accounts for sea-level rise and other factors

affecting flood risks. This effort will incorporate the most recent science on expected rates of

sea-level rise (which vary by region) and build on work done by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding 

Task Force, which announced in April 2013 that all federally funded Sandy-related rebuilding

projects must meet a consistent flood risk reduction standard that takes into account increased

risk from extreme weather events, sea-level rise, and other impacts of climate change.
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III. Using Sound Science to Manage Climate Impacts

Scientific data and insights are essential to help government officials, communities, and 

businesses better understand and manage the risks associated with climate change. The 

Administration will continue to lead in advancing the science of climate measurement and 

adaptation and the development of tools for climate-relevant decision-making by focusing on 

increasing the availability, accessibility, and utility of relevant scientific tools and information. 

Specific actions will include:

Developing Actionable Climate Science: The President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget provides 

more than $2.7 billion, largely through the 13-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program, to 

increase understanding of climate-change impacts, establish a public-private partnership to 

explore risk and catastrophe modeling, and develop the information and tools needed by

decision-makers to respond to both long-term climate change impacts and near-term effects of 

extreme weather.

Assessing Climate-Change Impacts in the United States: In the spring of 2014, the Obama 

Administration will release the third U.S. National Climate Assessment, highlighting new 

advances in our understanding of climate-change impacts across all regions of the United States 

and on critical sectors of the economy, including transportation, energy, agriculture, and 

ecosystems and biodiversity. For the first time, the National Climate Assessment will focus not 

only on dissemination of scientific information but also on translating scientific insights into 

practical, useable knowledge that can help decision-makers anticipate and prepare for specific 

climate-change impacts.

Launching a Climate Data Initiative: Consistent with the President’s May 2013 Executive 

Order on Open Data – and recognizing that freely available open government data can fuel 

entrepreneurship, innovation, scientific discovery, and public benefits – the Administration is 

launching a Climate Data Initiative to leverage extensive federal climate-relevant data to 

stimulate innovation and private-sector entrepreneurship in support of national climate-change 

preparedness.

Providing a Toolkit for Climate Resilience: Federal agencies will create a virtual climateresilience toolkit that centralizes access to data-driven resilience tools, services, and best 

practices, including those developed through the Climate Data Initiative. The toolkit will provide 

easy access to existing resources as well as new tools, including: interactive sea-level rise maps 

and a sea-level-rise calculator to aid post-Sandy rebuilding in New York and New Jersey, new 

NOAA storm surge models and interactive maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration that provide risk information by combining tidal data, projected sea levels and 

storm wave heights, a web-based tool that will allow developers to integrate NASA climate 

imagery into websites and mobile apps, access to the U.S. Geological Survey’s “visualization 

tool” to assess the amount of carbon absorbed by landscapes, and a Stormwater Calculator and 

Climate Assessment Tool developed to help local governments assess stormwater-control 

measures under different precipitation and temperature scenarios.
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LEAD INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO ADDRESS GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

The Obama Administration is working to build on the actions that it is taking domestically to 

achieve significant global greenhouse gas emission reductions and enhance climate preparedness 

through major international initiatives focused on spurring concrete action, including bilateral 

initiatives with China, India, and other major emitting countries. These initiatives not only serve 

to support the efforts of the United States and others to achieve our goals for 2020, but also will 

help us move beyond those and bend the post-2020 global emissions trajectory further. As a key 

part of this effort, we are also working intensively to forge global responses to climate change 

through a number of important international negotiations, including the United Nations 

Framework Convention on Climate Change.

I. Working with Other Countries to Take Action to Address Climate Change

Enhancing Multilateral Engagement with Major Economies: In 2009, President Obama 

launched the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, a high-level forum that brings 

together 17 countries that account for approximately 75 percent of global greenhouse gas 

emissions, in order to support the international climate negotiations and spur cooperative action 

to combat climate change. The Forum has been successful on both fronts – having contributed 

significantly to progress in the broader negotiations while also launching the Clean Energy

Ministerial to catalyze the development and deployment of clean energy and efficiency solutions. 

We are proposing that the Forum build on these efforts by launching a major initiative this year 

focused on further accelerating efficiency gains in the buildings sector, which accounts for 

approximately one-third of global carbon pollutions from the energy sector.

Expanding Bilateral Cooperation with Major Emerging Economies:

From the outset, the Obama Administration has sought to intensify bilateral climate cooperation 

with key major emerging economies, through initiatives like the U.S.-China Clean Energy

Research Center, the U.S.-India Partnership to Advance Clean Energy, and the Strategic Energy

Dialogue with Brazil.

We will be building on these successes and finding new areas for cooperation in the second term, 

and we are already making progress: Just this month, President Obama and President Xi Jinping 

of China reached an historic agreement at their first summit to work to use the expertise and 

institutions of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the consumption and production of HFCs, a 

highly potent greenhouse gas. The impact of phasing out HFCs by 2050 would be equivalent to 

the elimination of two years’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions from all sources.

Combatting Short-Lived Climate Pollutants: Pollutants such as methane, black carbon, and 

many HFCs are relatively short-lived in the atmosphere, but have more potent greenhouse effects 

than carbon dioxide. In February 2012, the United States launched the Climate and Clean Air 

Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollution, which has grown to include more than 30 

country partners and other key partners such as the World Bank and the U.N. Environment 

Programme. Major efforts include reducing methane and black carbon from waste and landfills. 

We are also leading through the Global Methane Initiative, which works with 42 partner

countries and an extensive network of over 1,100 private sector participants to reduce methane 

emissions.
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Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation: Greenhouse gas emissions 

from deforestation, agriculture, and other land use constitute approximately one-third of global 

emissions. In some developing countries, as much as 80 percent of these emissions come from 

the land sector. To meet this challenge, the Obama Administration is working with partner 

countries to put in place the systems and institutions necessary to significantly reduce global

land-use-related emissions, creating new models for rural development that generate climate 

benefits, while conserving biodiversity, protecting watersheds, and improving livelihoods.

In 2012 alone, the U.S. Agency for International Development’s bilateral and regional forestry 

programs contributed to reducing more than 140 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, 

including through support for multilateral initiatives such as the Forest Investment Program and 

the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. In Indonesia, the Millennium Challenge Corporation is 

funding a five-year “Green Prosperity” program that supports environmentally sustainable, low 

carbon economic development in select districts.

The Obama Administration is also working to address agriculture-driven deforestation through 

initiatives such as the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020, which brings together governments, the 

private sector, and civil society to reduce tropical deforestation related to key agricultural 

commodities, which we will build upon.

Expanding Clean Energy Use and Cut Energy Waste: Roughly 84 percent of current carbon 

dioxide emissions are energy-related and about 65 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions can 

be attributed to energy supply and energy use. The Obama Administration has promoted the 

expansion of renewable, clean, and efficient energy sources and technologies worldwide 

through:

• Financing and regulatory support for renewable and clean energy projects

• Actions to promote fuel switching from oil and coal to natural gas or renewables

• Support for the safe and secure use of nuclear power

• Cooperation on clean coal technologies

• Programs to improve and disseminate energy efficient technologies

In the past three years we have reached agreements with more than 20 countries around the 

world, including Mexico, South Africa, and Indonesia, to support low emission development 

strategies that help countries to identify the best ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while 

growing their economies. Among the many initiatives that we have launched are:

• The U.S. Africa Clean Energy Finance Initiative, which aligns grant-based assistance 

with project planning expertise from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and 

financing and risk mitigation tools from the U.S. Overseas Private Investment 

Corporation to unlock up to $1 billion in clean energy financing.

• The U.S.-Asia Pacific Comprehensive Energy Partnership, which has identified $6 billion 

in U.S. export credit and government financing to promote clean energy development in 

the Asia-Pacific region.

Looking ahead, we will target these and other resources towards greater penetration of 

renewables in the global energy mix on both a small and large scale, including through our
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participation in the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative and accelerating the commercialization 

of renewable mini-grids. These efforts include:

• Natural Gas. Burning natural gas is about one-half as carbon-intensive as coal, which 

can make it a critical “bridge fuel” for many countries as the world transitions to even 

cleaner sources of energy. Toward that end, the Obama Administration is partnering with 

states and private companies to exchange lessons learned with our international partners 

on responsible development of natural gas resources. We have launched the 

Unconventional Gas Technical Engagement Program to share best practices on issues 

such as water management, methane emissions, air quality, permitting, contracting, and 

pricing to help increase global gas supplies and facilitate development of the associated 

infrastructure that brings them to market. Going forward, we will promote fuel-switching 

from coal to gas for electricity production and encourage the development of a global 

market for gas. Since heavy-duty vehicles are expected to account for 40 percent of 

increased oil use through 2030, we will encourage the adoption of heavy duty natural gas 

vehicles as well.

• Nuclear Power. The United States will continue to promote the safe and secure use of 

nuclear power worldwide through a variety of bilateral and multilateral engagements. For 

example, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission advises international partners on 

safety and regulatory best practices, and the Department of Energy works with 

international partners on research and development, nuclear waste and storage, training, 

regulations, quality control, and comprehensive fuel leasing options. Going forward, we

will expand these efforts to promote nuclear energy generation consistent with 

maximizing safety and nonproliferation goals.

• Clean Coal. The United States works with China, India, and other countries that 

currently rely heavily on coal for power generation to advance the development and 

deployment of clean coal technologies. In addition, the U.S. leads the Carbon 

Sequestration Leadership Forum, which engages 23 other countries and economies on 

carbon capture and sequestration technologies. Going forward, we will continue to use 

these bilateral and multilateral efforts to promote clean coal technologies.

• Energy Efficiency. The Obama Administration has aggressively promoted energy 

efficiency through the Clean Energy Ministerial and key bilateral programs. The costeffective opportunities are enormous: The Ministerial’ s Super-Efficient Equipment and 

Appliance Deployment Initiative and its Global Superior Energy Performance 

Partnership are helping to accelerate the global adoption of standards and practices that 

would cut energy waste equivalent to more than 650 mid-size power plants by 2030. We 

will work to expand these efforts focusing on several critical areas, including: improving 

building efficiency, reducing energy consumption at water and wastewater treatment 

facilities, and expanding global appliance standards.

Negotiating Global Free Trade in Environmental Goods and Services: The U.S. will work 

with trading partners to launch negotiations at the World Trade Organization towards global free 

trade in environmental goods, including clean energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydro and 

geothermal. The U.S. will build on the consensus it recently forged among the 21 Asia-Pacific 

Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies in this area. In 2011, APEC economies agreed to 

reduce tariffs to 5 percent or less by 2015 on a negotiated list of 54 environmental goods. The
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APEC list will serve as a foundation for a global agreement in the WTO, with participating 

countries expanding the scope by adding products of interest. Over the next year, we will work 

towards securing participation of countries which account for 90 percent of global trade in 

environmental goods, representing roughly $481 billion in annual environmental goods trade. 

We will also work in the Trade in Services Agreement negotiations towards achieving free trade 

in environmental services.

Phasing Out Subsidies that Encourage Wasteful Consumption of Fossil Fuels: The 

International Energy Agency estimates that the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies – which amount 

to more than $500 billion annually – would lead to a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas 

emissions below business as usual by 2050. At the 2009 G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh, the United 

States successfully advocated for a commitment to phase out these subsidies, and we have since 

won similar commitments in other fora such as APEC. President Obama is calling for the 

elimination of U.S. fossil fuel tax subsidies in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget, and we will 

continue to collaborate with partners around the world toward this goal.

Leading Global Sector Public Financing Towards Cleaner Energy: Under this 

Administration, the United States has successfully mobilized billions of dollars for clean energy 

investments in developing countries, helping to accelerate their transition to a green, low-carbon 

economy. Building on these successes, the President calls for an end to U.S. government support 

for public financing of new coal plants overseas, except for (a) the most efficient coal technology 

available in the world’s poorest countries in cases where no other economically feasible 

alternative exists, or (b) facilities deploying carbon capture and sequestration technologies. As 

part of this new commitment, we will work actively to secure the agreement of other countries 

and the multilateral development banks to adopt similar policies as soon as possible.

Strengthening Global Resilience to Climate Change: Failing to prepare adequately for the 

impacts of climate change that can no longer be avoided will put millions of people at risk, 

jeopardizing important development gains, and increasing the security risks that stem from 

climate change. That is why the Obama Administration has made historic investments in 

bolstering the capacity of countries to respond to climate-change risks. Going forward, we will 

continue to:

• Strengthen government and local community planning and response capacities, such as 

by increasing water storage and water use efficiency to cope with the increased 

variability in water supply

• Develop innovative financial risk management tools such as index insurance to help 

smallholder farmers and pastoralists manage risk associated with changing rainfall 

patterns and drought

• Distribute drought-resistant seeds and promote management practices that increase 

farmers' ability to cope with climate impacts.

Mobilizing Climate Finance: International climate finance is an important tool in our efforts to 

promote low-emissions, climate-resilient development. We have fulfilled our joint developed 

country commitment from the Copenhagen Accord to provide approximately $30 billion of 

climate assistance to developing countries over FY 2010-FY 2012. The United States contributed 

approximately $7.5 billion to this effort over the three year period. Going forward, we will seek
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to build on this progress as well as focus our efforts on combining our public resources with 

smart policies to mobilize much larger flows of private investment in low-emissions and climate 

resilient infrastructure.

II. Leading Efforts to Address Climate Change through International Negotiations

The United States has made historic progress in the international climate negotiations during the 

past four years. At the Copenhagen Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on 

Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2009, President Obama and other world leaders agreed for the 

first time that all major countries, whether developed or developing, would implement targets or 

actions to limit greenhouse emissions, and do so under a new regime of international 

transparency. And in 2011, at the year-end climate meeting in Durban, we achieved another 

breakthrough: Countries agreed to negotiate a new agreement by the end of 2015 that would

have equal legal force and be applicable to all countries in the period after 2020. This was an 

important step beyond the previous legal agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, whose core obligations 

applied to developed countries, not to China, India, Brazil or other emerging countries.

The 2015 climate conference is slated to play a critical role in defining a post-2020 trajectory. 

We will be seeking an agreement that is ambitious, inclusive and flexible. It needs to be 

ambitious to meet the scale of the challenge facing us. It needs to be inclusive because there is 

no way to meet that challenge unless all countries step up and play their part. And it needs to be

flexible because there are many differently situated parties with their own needs and imperatives, 

and those differences will have to be accommodated in smart, practical ways.

At the same time as we work toward this outcome in the UNFCCC context, we are making 

progress in a variety of other important negotiations as well. At the Montreal Protocol, we are 

leading efforts in support of an amendment that would phase down HFCs; at the International 

Maritime Organization, we have agreed to and are now implementing the first-ever sector-wide, 

internationally applicable energy efficiency standards; and at the International Civil Aviation 

Organization, we have ambitious aspirational emissions and energy efficiency targets and are 

working towards agreement to develop a comprehensive global approach.