Current U.S. climate change policy consists mainly of government support for R&D in energy-related technologies. Investing in the development of new technologies is intended to allow cheaper and faster reductions in the future. The Bush administration has viewed this policy as a substitute for mandatory emissions reductions.

European governments hold firm to the binding emission targets approach. Attributing a price to GHG emissions is perceived as a necessary condition for new technologies to emerge. This transatlantic disagreement over the role of technology policy has important implications for the future of the international climate change regime.

Is R&D alone enough? Are emission targets alone sensible? The meeting is dedicated to looking at technology policy for climate change mitigation in the context of the current transatlantic disagreement.

Technology Policy for Climate Change Mitigation: A Transatlantic Perspective
(Summary Paper)

We believe that debating not only the rationale for, but also the nature and the exact role of, technology policy is an important step in the process of (re)creating a common transatlantic language on international climate change policy.