This collection of documents provides limited background on the U.S. position concerning global climate change. This is not an inclusive set of documents.
Further, these documents, individually or as a collection, should not be construed to necessarily represent the official policy of either the US Government or the US EPA.
The Bush Administration (2001-present)
- White House Reviews Action on Global Climate Change, (Council on Environmental Quality, September 2004)
- Our Changing Planet. The U.S. Climate Change Science Program for Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005, (Climate Change Science Program, August 2004)
- Strategic Plan for the Climate Change Science Program
A Report by the Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research released on July 24, 2003.
- US Climate Action Report, (U.S. Department of State, May 2002)
The United States of America's Third National Communication Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- Fact Sheet: President Bush Announces Clear Skies and Global Climate Change Initiatives.
Press release from White House on February 14, 2002 announcing a new strategy for addressing Global Climate Change and a Clear Skies Initiative that aims to reduce emissions of nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury.
- Global Climate Change Policy Book (2002). (305K pdf).
Policy book provides executive summary of the Global Climate Change Initiatives President Bush annouced on February 14, 2002. Highlighting the initiatives is a plan to reduce the greenhouse gas intensity of the U.S. economy by 18 percent between 2002 and 2012.
- Action on Climate Change Review Initiatives
On June 11, 2001, President Bush announced initiatives to advance the science of climate change, to spur technological innovation, and to promote cooperation in the Western Hemisphere and beyond. In this memo released July 13, the President is announcing the first set of actions that the Cabinet has taken to date to advance these initiatives.
- Climate Change Review (2001) (104K pdf).
The report summarizes the initial positions of the Bush Administration on climate change after three months of an ongoing Cabinet-level review. It includes an overview of the current US actions to address climate change, an analysis of the Kyoto Protocol, a discussion about advancing the science of climate change and the technology to address it, and a plan for promoting cooperation in the Western Hemisphere and the world. Released June 11, 2001.
- National Academy of Sciences Climate Change Report (2001) (305K pdf).
At the request of the Bush White House, the National Academy issued this report for the Administration's review of climate change policy. The report identifies the greatest certainties and uncertainties in the science of climate change and reviews the latest findings of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change).
The Clinton Administration (1992-2000)
The following position papers are historical documents and may not represent the policies of the current Administration.
- CoP-6 Documents (2000).
A collection of documents presented by the U.S. Government at the 6th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
- CoP5 Fact Sheets (1999).
Index of documents presented by the U.S. Government at the 5th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
- The Kyoto Protocol and President Clinton's Policies to Address Climate Change.
Submitted to Congress in July 1998, this White House report, produced by the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, presents the costs and benefits of meeting the emissions reductions outlined in the Kyoto Protocol.
- President Clinton's Proposal on Global Climate Change, October 1997
A comprehensive outline of the Clinton Administration's position on global climate change, released October 22, 1997.