3 June 2010: At the US-India Strategic Dialogue, held in Washington DC, US, on 1-4 June 2010, both countries recognized opportunities to deepen their cooperation in environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation, energy security, food security and people empowerment, among other issues.
The resulting Joint Statement includes a section devoted to Energy Security, Clean Energy and Climate Change. In the Statement, both countries reaffirm their support for the Copenhagen Accord as a positive step in meeting the global climate challenge. They also underscore its importance in building consensus in the ongoing negotiations under the UNFCCC in pursuance of the Bali Action Plan, towards a successful outcome at the 16th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 16), to take place in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of 2010.
The two sides further welcome the launch of the India-US Climate Dialogue, which seeks to enhance bilateral US-India cooperation with a view to achieving a successful outcome of the ongoing multilateral climate change negotiations, reiterating the importance of the Dialogue in focusing and coordinating both countries’ climate change priorities, in line with their national policies and strategies. In this regard, the US and India recognize that further cooperation in knowledge on climate science can enhance shared understanding of the planet’s climate. The two countries also reaffirm their commitment to cooperate in the area of unconventional gas resources, as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security, Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy and Climate Change. [The Joint Statement]