    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [April 27, 2007]
    [Pages 495-496]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Joint Statement by the United States of America and Japan on Energy
    Security, Clean Development, and Climate Change
    April 27, 2007

        President Bush and Prime Minister Abe agreed
    today that confronting the interlinked challenges of energy security,
    clean development, and climate change requires sustained and effective
    global action. The United States and Japan are working to ensure that
    the energy on which our economies depend remains reliable, affordable,
    and secure by encouraging efficiency, diversity of supply, and advances
    in technology. At the same time our nations are making meaningful
    progress in addressing air pollution and greenhouse gases from our power
    and transportation systems. We remain committed to the ultimate
    objective of stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere
    at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with
    the climate system, and will further explore the steps forward to this
    objective.
        The United States and Japan are also advancing the clean energy
    technology needed to change for the better the way we power our homes,
    businesses, and automobiles. We are accelerating the development and
    deployment of these technologies by providing policy incentives to
    reduce the cost barriers to their full commercialization. We especially
    note the importance of advancing: energy efficiency and renewable
    energy, alternative and renewable fuels, hydrogen, near-zero emissions
    coal, nuclear energy, and fusion energy. We will work together to
    advance our nationally- defined objectives in these areas, taking
    advantage of a wide range of policy tools and measures including
    mandatory programs, incentives, and public-private technology
    partnerships. We will conduct a joint quantitative study on the
    economic, technological, and climate benefits of energy efficiency, in
    recognition of the trend toward national energy efficiency goals and
    programs throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
        The United States and Japan will work constructively with our
    international partners, in particular the major energy consuming
    nations, to promote the commercialization of advanced clean energy
    technologies. In this regard, we will also use the G8, the UNFCCC, the
    Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, the
    International Energy Agency, APEC, the Commission of Sustainable
    Development, and other multilateral partnerships. We reaffirm the goals
    of the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) Initiative set at the G8 Summit at
    Sea Island in 2004. This includes the reduction of barriers to the
    international flow of goods and materials for recycling and
    remanufacturing, recycled and remanufactured products, and cleaner, more
    efficient technologies, consistent with existing environmental and trade
    obligations and frameworks. We also note that a report on the Gleneagles
    Dialogue on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development
    will be received at the G8 summit meeting to be hosted by Japan in 2008.
        We will also endeavor under the Montreal Protocol to ensure the
    recovery of the ozone layer to pre-1980 levels by accelerating the
    phase-out of HCFCs in a way that supports energy efficiency and climate
    change objectives. We will continue to exercise leadership in the
    development of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

    [[Page 496]]

        The United States and Japan recognize the value of our bilateral
    High-Level Consultations on Climate Change and will enhance, strengthen,
    and streamline that dialog. The United States will send a delegation of
    senior-level officials to Japan before the G8 Summit in June to discuss
    further implementation of this statement.

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this joint statement.