Over the past two days in Beverly Hills, Conduit Development and Forming Solutions representing ARXX Green Build System was present at the Governor’s Global Climate Summit and engaged in discussions on the future of California’s climate issues.

In attendance were a bipartisan group of U.S. Governors, along with elected officials and representatives from around the world, convened for the Governors’ Global Climate Summit , hosted by California’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger . The purpose of the summit is to facilitate a high-level meeting between governmental “climate leaders” and to conclude a cooperative Summit Declaration on climate solutions, as well as to discuss the outlook for a comprehensive global agreement on climate solutions that prevents the world passing the “tipping point” on climate change.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today joined 26 global leaders from six countries to sign a declaration acknowledging the threats of global warming on natural resources and economic prosperity, and calling on states and provinces to build and strengthen cooperative efforts to implement strategies that can immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in advance of the next global agreement on climate change.

“During this Summit, we had great discussions about the different responsibilities of developed and developing nations and how we must all work together for a healthier planet,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “Reversing the damage done by global warming is the great environmental challenge of the 21st Century, and I am proud that California and our co-host states are advancing the international policy debate through state and provincial partnerships. With this Summit declaration, we are establishing a framework to help negotiators next month in Poland and next year in Copenhagen as they draft a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.”

The declaration focuses efforts on the largest emitting sectors including forestry, agriculture, cement, iron, aluminum, energy and transportation. Leaders at the Governors’ Summit committed to establishing workgroups by sector to develop individual sector-specific position papers within the next six months on possible policy options to inform and advance United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international negotiations toward the next global climate agreement.

To help reduce staff costs, leaders agreed to utilize non-government organizations (NGO) such as The Climate Group, Environmental Defense Fund, International Council on Clean Transportation and Center for Clean Air Policy to provide staff support and specialized expertise to coordinate working groups and draft position papers. In many cases, these NGOs already are working on policy options to be considered by the global community and this helps relieve some of the fiscal burden from governments.

The declaration commits signers to establishing and expanding existing global networks to help develop additional cooperative actions throughout the world. Partnerships formed at the Summit will help expand opportunities among states and provinces that complement existing efforts to further explore specific mitigation and adaptation strategies.

In many cases, the collaborative partnerships forged by the declaration will lead to strategies that can immediately reduce greenhouse gas emissions in advance of a global agreement. The declaration calls out strategies such as technology transfer, incentive programs, sharing of best practices and market- or non market-based programs. These types of strategies can be implemented almost immediately at little or no cost with big economic and environmental results. By focusing on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, zero and low-carbon electricity generation and fuels, improved mobility through better planning and transportation infrastructure, biological carbon sequestration, climate change impacts and adaptation, developing nations can begin to employ strategies that both save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The following global leaders signed today’s declaration: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, USA; Governor Bill Ritter, Colorado, USA; Governor Charlie Crist, Florida; Governor Rod Blagojevich, Illinois, USA; Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Kansas, USA; Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts, USA; Governor Jennifer Granholm, Michigan, USA; Governor Martin O’Malley, Maryland, USA; Governor David Patterson, New York, USA; Governor Ted Kulongoski, Oregon, USA; Governor John Huntsman, Jr., Utah, USA; Governor Christine Gregoire, Washington, USA; Governor Jim Doyle, Wisconsin; Governor Antônio Waldez Góes da Silva, Amapá, Brazil; Governor Eduardo Braga, Amazonas, Brazil; Governor Blairo Maggi, Mato Grosso, Brazil; Governor Ana Júlia de Vasconcelos Carepa, Pará, Brazil; Premier Gordon Campbell, British Columbia, Canada; Premier Gary Doer, Manitoba, Canada; Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario, Canada; Premier Jean Cherest, Quebec, Canada; Governor Yusuf Irwandi, Aceh, Indonesia; Governor Fauzi Bowo, Jakarta, Indonesia; Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán, Baja California, Mexico; Governor Eduardo Bours Castelo, Sonora, Mexico; and Chairman H.C. Sharatchandra, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, India. The following signed the declaration as honorary witnesses: Director General Gao Guangsheng, Department of Climate Change, National Development Reform Commission, People’s Republic of China;

Andrea De Angelis, United Nations Development Programme, China (UNDP); Douglas Gardner, UNDP, China; and Dr. Adrían Fernández, National Institute of Ecology, United Mexican States.

The Governors’ Summit helps fulfill the requirements of the state’s global warming law, AB 32, to coordinate and collaborate with international governments to ensure compatibility, promote maximum environmental protection and promote economic stability. In addition, the proposed Scoping Plan, the state’s blueprint to meet AB 32 reduction goals, addresses international efforts to encourage the spread of clean, low carbon technologies outside California.

University of California Television provided webcasting and will continue to host archival video and podcasts of all events in the International Ballroom at http://www.uctv.tv/climate/.

For more information on the Summit go to www.governorsglobalclimatesummit.org.

Following today’s declaration signing, the Governor will take some of the dignitaries attending the Global Climate Summit for a tour of the new, green vehicles on display at the 102nd Los Angeles Auto Show.

Text of the declaration:

Based on conclusive scientific evidence, we recognize that global climate change is a grave threat to our people, our environment, and our respective ways of life. Therefore, we resolve to act quickly to stabilize the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to avoid the resulting catastrophic impacts to the world’s ecosystems, oceans, water supplies, infrastructure, food production, and human health. The magnitude and urgency of the challenges in stabilizing the climate will require an unprecedented level of collaboration and cooperation among all levels of government around the world.

We also recognize that the transition to a low carbon society will invigorate and strengthen global, national and regional economies by enhancing energy security, increasing energy efficiency, and creating new jobs and industries that stimulate diverse, de-centralized and sustainable economic activity.

We further recognize that states and provinces from around the world, including the undersigned, have embarked on a journey to pursue innovative actions and policies to address climate change. This declaration is another step that strengthens and advances our shared vision for long-term cooperative action. We seek to create a low carbon society and enhance energy security by providing ongoing support to our national governments as they combat climate change.

Today, we come together in state-province partnership to help advance the ongoing international efforts under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, based on the following guiding principles:

* Stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to avoid catastrophic climate change, consistent with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change;
* Achieve quantifiable greenhouse gas emission reductions collectively while recognizing that there are common but differentiated responsibilities and capabilities among developed, developing, and transitional governments;
* Provide technical assistance to and investment in sector specific activities, including transfer of clean energy research, and assistance with development, demonstration, and deployment of climate friendly technologies, particularly in developing countries;
* Accelerate capacity building efforts targeted toward key sectors of our economies; and
* Strengthen the ability of all regions of the world to adapt to climate change and assist those that are disproportionately affected, or most likely to suffer the consequences of climate change.

To realize these principles we will work together and with our respective national governments in an effort to move toward the following goals:

* Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in sectors with a high potential for environmental and economic benefits including: forestry; agriculture; cement; iron and steel; aluminum; energy; and transportation;
* Employ those actions that are most suited to providing mutually beneficial outcomes, including technology transfer, incentive programs, sharing of best practices and market- or non market-based programs.
* Pursue opportunities among the undersigned that complement existing efforts to further explore specific mitigation and adaptation strategies;
* Scale up investments in climate friendly technologies and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change;
* Grow our economies and enhance overall quality of life through research, development and deployment of technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases;
* Focus research, development and deployment activities on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, zero- and low-carbon electricity generation and fuels, improved mobility through better planning and transportation infrastructure, biological carbon sequestration, climate change impacts and adaptation;
* Foster exchanges between researchers and educators to strengthen the global climate change knowledge base by building upon existing relationships between academic and laboratory researchers, as well as international student exchange programs; and
* Accelerate capacity building for development of monitoring and reporting programs that provide transparent, coordinated and consistent measurement, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions to ensure environmental integrity;

To build this partnership we will work together to actively solicit the support of governments at all levels and coordinate our activities with national climate change programs.

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