Appendix 4 - Australia's Bilateral Partnerships on Climate Change

Australia is pursuing a multi-pronged international climate change strategy to build an effective global response to climate change. This strategy includes action at multilateral, regional and bilateral levels.

Bilateral partnerships can provide a framework to both engage at a high level on climate change policy issues and focus on practical and measurable outcomes that benefit both countries.

Australia is currently pursuing bilateral cooperation on climate change with the United States, Japan, New Zealand, the European Union and China.

United States - Australia Climate Action Partnership

The United States - Australia Climate Action Partnership (CAP) was announced on 27 February 2002. In July 2002, the Australian and United States governments announced a CAP work program that included 19 projects under six themes: climate change science and monitoring; stationary energy technologies; engaging with business - technology development; engaging with business – policies, tools and approaches; collaboration with developing countries to build capacity to deal with climate change; and greenhouse accounting in the forestry and agriculture sector.

Japan - Australia Practical Collaboration on Climate Change

Practical collaboration on climate change with Japan was initiated under the Japan-Australia Creative Partnership, announced by both countries’ Prime Ministers in May 2002. Australian and Japanese environment officials are exploring cooperation under three thematic areas: ways to engage all countries in a response to climate change; measurement and accounting for greenhouse sinks; and energy and technologies. Work is under way to implement or further develop specific projects.

New Zealand - Australia Climate Change Partnership

In July 2003, the Australian and New Zealand Governments announced a New Zealand - Australia Climate Change Partnership, built around five themes: engaging with business and local government on technology development, policy design and implementation; building on existing cooperation on energy efficiency; measuring and reducing emissions from the agricultural sector; further enhancing climate change science and monitoring; and working together with our Pacific Island neighbours to address the regional challenges posed by climate change. The first projects undertaken under the Partnership were announced at UNFCCC COP9 in December 2003.

European Union - Australia Cooperation on Climate Change

Climate change was identified as an area for cooperation between the EU and Australia as part of a broader agenda for cooperation identified under the April 2003 Review of the Joint Declaration on Relations between the EU and Australia. Cooperation with the EU is being explored around four themes: technology development and deployment; climate science, impacts and adaptation; harmonisation of emissions monitoring, reporting, verification and certification procedures; and evolution of mitigations commitments.

China - Australia Climate Bilateral Cooperation on Climate Change

Officials from Australia and China held a workshop in Beijing in September 2003 where they agreed on a Joint Declaration on Bilateral Cooperation on Climate Change, which sets out cooperation in the following areas: climate change policies; climate change impacts and adaptation; national communications (greenhouse gas inventories and projections); technology cooperation; and capacity building and public awareness.

Source:  Australian Greenhouse Office Fact Sheet February 2004 at http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/international/publications/pubs/fs-bilaterals.pdf

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