Addressing Global Climate Change
Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiatives
The Federal Government administers many different voluntary programs on energy efficiency,
agricultural practices, and greenhouse gas reductions. Major initiatives announced by the Bush
Administration include:
Climate VISION Partnership: In February 2003, President Bush announced that
companies from twelve major industrial sectors and the membership of the Business
Roundtable had committed to work with four of his Cabinet agencies (DOE, EPA,
DOT, and USDA) to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade.
Participating industries included Americas electric utilities; petroleum refiners and
natural gas producers; automobile, iron and steel, chemical and magnesium
manufacturers; forest and paper producers; railroads; and the cement, mining,
aluminum, and semiconductor industries. In December 2003, the Department of Energy established
an official Climate VISION Web site (www.climatevision.gov) to serve as an information clearinghouse
for the program.
Climate Leaders: Announced in 2002, Climate Leaders is an EPA
partnership encouraging individual companies to develop long-term,
comprehensive climate change strategies. Partners set corporate-wide
GHG reduction goals and inventory their emissions to measure progress. Fifty major companies are
now participating, including General Motors, Alcoa, BP, Pfizer, Staples, International Paper, IBM,
Miller Brewing, Eastman Kodak, and Target.