As the international community continues to seek a sensible and a workable multilateral architecture for addressing climate change, the Japanese government has declared climate change a top priority as it prepares to host the G8 Summit in Hokkaido in July.
On March 3, the Brookings Institution hosted the top Japanese and U.S. climate change advisors for a discussion on their governments’ respective policy initiatives. The speakers explored options for a new international framework on climate change and discuss the role of the Hokkaido Summit as a critical milestone in ongoing climate policy negotiations. Speakers included Mutsuyoshi Nishimura, special advisor to the Japanese Cabinet on Climate Change; James Connaughton, chairman, White House Council on Environmental Quality; and Warwick McKibbin, nonresident senior fellow, The Brookings Institution.
Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Carlos Pascual provided introductory remarks and moderated the panel discussion.