VZCZCXRO4444
PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHMD #0957/01 2681206
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 251206Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY MADRID
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1263
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE
RHMCSUU/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEAEPA/HQ EPA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000957 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/EGC - W. MOORE; EUR - M. BEH, S.PARKER-BURNS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KGHG SENV ENRG TRGY EUN SP
SUBJECT: GOS SEEKS COMPARABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ON 
CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT 
 
REF: STATE 097542 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Post delivered reftel demarche on climate 
change to Deputy General Director for Mitigation and 
Technologies Eduardo Gonzalez and Senior Advisor for 
Mitigation and Technologies Sara Aagesen in the Ministry of 
the Environment, Rural, and Marine Affairs on September 22. 
They are pleased with the Administration's new direction on 
climate change and are hopeful of reaching an agreement in 
Copenhagen.  They see common ground in the positions of the 
U.S. and the E.U. and see the areas for discussion centering 
around comparability of commitments--both in terms of 
emissions reductions and financial contributions--and 
transparency in commitments and reporting.  They are 
concerned about a number of stumbling blocks to an agreement: 
1) tensions with China due to the Administration's imposition 
of duties on imports of Chinese on tires, 2) growing support 
for the imposition of tariffs on products from countries that 
do not take action against climate change, 3) Russia's 
concept of an emissions bank, and 4) changes or delays in 
passing the U.S. Waxman/Markey legislation. They requested 
additional information on several subjects - see paras 3, 4, 
and 7. End Summary 
 
¶2. (U) GOS officials Eduardo Gonzalez and Sara Aagesen said 
they were pleased with the Administration's new direction and 
pointed to the U.S. joining the International Renewable 
Energy Agency as an example of the change.  They also praised 
the cooperation and exchange between the U.S. and Spain on 
wind and solar energy.  The GOS has placed a high priority on 
climate change and Aagesen stressed that Spain is 
particularly vulnerable to drought and mass migration, given 
its proximity to Africa.  Despite the challenge posed by the 
economic crisis, Aagesen says that now is the time for an 
agreement.  She and Gonzalez find common ground in the 
positions of the U.S. and the E.U. on climate change and are 
hopeful about achieving results in Copenhagen. 
 
Comparability of Commitments 
 
¶3. (U) Gonzalez and Aagesen said that comparability is a 
central concern in the climate change discussions.  They seek 
clarification on how the U.S. is calculating its 17% 
reduction and would like to know whether the figure is a 
domestic target or whether it includes mitigation efforts in 
developing countries. They also requested more information on 
how the Netherlands Environmental Agency study (cited in 
reftel) calculates the comparability of U.S. versus E.U. 
mid-term targets.  They are skeptical that the targets are 
comparable and are in the process of analyzing the data. 
Aagesen said she was looking forward to an opportunity to 
discuss the matter in detail during a Brussels teleconference 
with U.S. and E.U. climate change experts scheduled for 
September 23. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The way in which financial contributions are 
measured is also at issue.  Aagesen requested more 
information on how the U.S. is calculating its 
contributions--where, for example, the $720 million 
designated for deforestation mitigation efforts in the 
Waxman/Markey bill would be allocated.  At the same time, she 
suggested that the USG and the GOS might share positions on 
calculating financial contributions given that Spain and the 
U.S., unlike many other developed countries, expect continued 
population and consumption growth, due to immigration. 
Aagesen mentioned the need to incorporate the tracking of 
efforts that are currently outside of the Kyoto Protocol and 
agreed that the framework should include public and private 
funding. 
 
Transparency of Commitments and Reporting 
 
¶5. (U) The GOS is skeptical of using nationally developed 
measures to track emissions.  Aagesen argues that the 
Copenhagen agreement should make use of existing 
institutions, standards, and measures--such as  Assigned 
Amount Units (AAU).  They think that using structures in 
place under the Kyoto Protocol will facilitate harmonizing 
data, improve the functionality of an international 
cap-and-trade program, and increase transparency in 
commitments and reporting. 
 
Role of Developing Countries 
 
¶6. (U) The GOS agrees that developing countries should play a 
 
MADRID 00000957  002 OF 002 
 
 
role and make commitments, but it does not think that their 
reduction targets should be linked to those of developed 
countries.  Aagesen emphasized the need for countries to make 
commitments to funding emissions reductions in developing 
countries. 
 
Stumbling Blocks to Agreement 
 
¶7. (SBU) Gonzalez mentioned that he witnessed firsthand the 
tension over the new U.S. duty on Chinese tires when he was 
in Beijing last week and was concerned about it affecting the 
Copenhagen negotiations.  Separately, he raised the issue of 
growing support--especially from the governments of Germany 
and France--for imposing tariffs on products from countries 
that do not take action to address climate change as a 
potential stumbling block.   Aagesen brought up the issue of 
Russia's emissions bank concept.  She said that the GOS does 
not agree with it and wanted to know the U.S. position on it. 
 She also voiced concern over how the Senate might change the 
Waxman/Markey bill--for example, lowering the emissions 
reduction target--and when it would be passed.  She 
emphasized that any delays in action on climate change would 
make it costlier and more difficult. 
CHACON