U.S. Center at COP-16: Week One

Dec 5, 2010

About the Author: Sarah Goldfarb serves as DipNote's Associate Editor. Sarah will be providing information from presentations about key climate programs and scientific research at the U.S. Center at the 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16) in Cancun, Mexico, from November 29 through December 10, 2010.

The 16th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework got under way in Cancun on November 29. Government officials and non-governmental organization observers have gathered to discuss ways to address climate change. I would like to recap this past week, where I've had the opportunity to highlight presentations at the U.S. Center about key climate programs and scientific research.

On Monday, scientists from NOAA demonstrated their preparations for climate change on the coast and how global warming will affect hurricanes and tropical storms in the future. Then, researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory described some of their international partnerships, particularly one with India, that works to increase energy efficiency.

On Tuesday, members of USAID described how they are providing climate change support to small island states, and advisors from the U.S. Forest Service demonstrated how they are working to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America's forests.

On Wednesday, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory discussed how they are promoting awareness and education on methods and tools to support Low Emission Development Strategies; members of the U.S. Department of Transportation shared their work on developing sustainable communities with more transportation options; scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey described their early famine warning systems; and leaders of NASA and USAID discussed their partnership that is matching the science, geo-spatial applications, and research from NASA, NASA-funded research, and other government agencies, to the people who have the need for this type of information in developing countries.

On Thursday, scientists from NASA and the U.S. Forest Service demonstrated the impact of climate change on fires; experts from USAID discussed their work to enhance capacity for low emission development strategies, as well as highlighted the United States' commitment to the full implementation of the Copenhagen Accord through our faststart appropriations. Also, members of the USDOT discussed actions they are taking to combat climate change in the transportation sector.

On Friday, researchers from NASA and NOAA illustrated their research examining air quality over large cities over the last twenty years; scientists from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences described the United States' dedication to protecting human health while responding to climate change; and members of the U.S. Department of Commerce presented some of the renewable products that the United States has to offer.

Thank you for staying tuned in to the action at the U.S. Center at COP-16. I greatly appreciate your feedback, and I look forward to bringing you all of the activities of week two at the U.S. Center.

Become a fan of the Bureau of Oceans, Environment, and Science on Facebook and follow all of the action at COP-16. You can find press releases, program events, transcripts, presentations from the U.S. Center and more on state.gov/cop16.