The U.S. delegation heading to Paris for climate talks needs to promote the country’s success story of free-market solutions on cutting carbon dioxide emissions, an industry official said Monday.
Jack Gerard, president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute, said no country in the world has expanded its economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as the U.S. in the last few years. He said that reduction in emissions comes from the boom in natural gas production.
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“We found a solution through market-driven sources, and now we just need to put it out there so the rest of the world can understand what can be done while protecting consumers and economic growth,” Gerard said.
American Petroleum Institute officials are planning to go to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change scheduled to start Nov. 30. President Obama will lead a U.S. delegation that hopes to reach a deal on global emissions reductions.
More than 40,000 delegates from 195 countries are expected to attend the Paris conference.
The industry message to the American delegation is not to tout what the American government plans to do regarding climate change, but to brag about what U.S. businesses have done on their own to reduce emissions, Gerard said. Many climate scientists blame greenhouse gases emitted from the burning of fossil fuels for driving manmade global warming.
Gerard pointed to the increased use of natural gas and other work by companies that want to limit their carbon footprint.
“The United States has the opportunity to show how the free market has led to the reduction in greenhouse gases,” he said.
“Our success is driven not by government mandate … but through innovation, investment and entrepreneurial spirit,” Gerard added.
The pro-petroleum group spent much of Monday’s call with reporters touting the benefits of natural gas. Gerard said his concern about the Clean Power Plan, Obama’s signature environmental regulation that requires states to cut emissions by one-third by 2030, is that it tips the scales in favor of wind and solar power instead of pursuing a true all-of-the-above energy strategy that includes fossil fuels.
Kyle Isakower, vice president of regulatory and economic policy for the American Petroleum Institute, said natural gas is the primary fuel source for power plants in half of the 22 states with below average carbon emissions.
Isakower said the 25 states with above-average carbon emissions could meet Clean Power Plan goals set for them by the federal government by switching from coal-fired power plants to natural gas.
“There’s no other top country that grew their economy more than the United States while also reducing emissions as much as the United States,” he said.
