The Foreign Service Journal, February 2008

32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 8 limate change was a key issue in my portfolio during my last several Foreign Service assignments. In London, where I served as economic minister from 2001 to 2005, it was such a hot topic that the British were determined to make it one of the cornerstones of their Group of Eight presidency. In Tokyo, the home of the Kyoto Protocol, the Japanese were similarly proprietary, feeling that the name of the agreement made it their own. I was the environment, science and technology minister there from 2005 to 2007, just as Japan’s own G-8 presidency approached (it’s this year). Like the British, the Japanese professed to have climate change at the top of their list of priorities. Those of us who worked on EST issues in both countries had plenty of opportunities to defend and advocate the U.S. position. Our encounters were often adversarial and occasionally confrontational. In the United Kingdom, the country that invented debate, we often had to defend our policies in front of well-informed audiences made up of groups that did not like our policy, buy our explanations or agree with our positions. Happily, the Blair government genuine- ly wanted to engage us on climate issues, recognizing that without the U.S. there was no possibility of a meaningful global effort. But the scientific community assailed our facts, accused us of duplicity and enjoined us to accept the humanitarian responsibility to address the issues. And the public, especially the NGO com- munity, accused us of being Neanderthals, short-sight- ed and backward-looking — and that was on a good day! In Japan, our discussions were less acrimonious, mainly because open confrontation is not culturally accepted. Nevertheless, among academics there were persistent questions about our analysis, our evidence and our conclusions. From the government, there were repeated entreaties to us to return to the negoti- ating table and engage meaningfully in the negotiations for a post-2012 agreement. And from the public, there were continuing questions about why we had aban- doned Kyoto and what it would take to have us recon- sider. U.S. policy was hard to defend in these environ- ments. But we did our best. Some days our job was easier, for there are some “slam dunks” in U.S. policy. F O C U S O N C L I M AT E C H A N G E S ELLING THE U.S. P OSITION : A N U PHILL B ATTLE T HE B USH ADMINISTRATION ’ S HANDLING OF CLIMATE CHANGE HAS OBSCURED WHAT IS ACTUALLY A POSITIVE U.S. RECORD IN MANY RESPECTS . B Y J OYCE R ABENS C Joyce Rabens retired from the Foreign Service in August 2007 after 35 years of service. Her posts included Brus- sels, Abidjan, Paris, Geneva, London (where she was eco- nomic minister), Tokyo (where she was the environment, science and technology minister) and Washington, D.C.