Ambassador Hartog Levin addresses Dutch Sustainability Congres

November 11, 2009

Ambassador Hartog Levin addresses Dutch National Sustainability Congres

Ambassador Fay Hartog Levin addressed the 10th Nationaal Sustainability Congres on what the United States is doing to promote green energy and fight climate change.  Over 700 NGO, government, and private sector professionals in the sustainability field attended the day-long event, held this year at the World Forum in The Hague.

Ambassador Levin led off the plenary session on “Sustainable Change in the United States” by describing how President Obama has reinvigorated the U.S. commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  The United States is currently investing over $80 billion in clean energy through its economic recovery act, substantially increasing fuel economy standards for U.S. vehicles, and working on comprehensive climate and energy legislation that would lower U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by more than 80 percent below current levels by 2050.

As Ambassador Levin said:  “President Obama recognizes that the United States must be a leader in the global effort to combat climate change.  We have that responsibility as the world’s largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases.  Without U.S. emissions reductions, no solution to climate change is possible, so the U.S. will lead in building a clean energy economy for the 21st century.”

Other keynote speakers included Allan Schurr, IBM’s Vice President for Energy & Utilities, who described U.S. smart grid initiatives and Dr. Willem Post, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Clingendael Institute, who discussed local green initiatives in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Portland.