ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES UNDER THE ITALIAN G8 PRESIDENCY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 ROME 001326

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG KGHG EAID EFIN EAGR IT
SUBJECT: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES UNDER THE ITALIAN G8 PRESIDENCY

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - RELEASABLE TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ITALY;
PARAS AS MARKED.


1. (SBU) Summary. Embassy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) staff met with key Italian officials to review early ideas and
plans for environmental issues under the Italian G8 Presidency, with
particular reference to the G8 Environment Ministerial. Key issues
discussed include: Ministerial location, format, agenda, possible
outcomes, challenges and related meetings and initiatives. On
climate change, the GOI is hoping for a newsworthy USG statement at
the April 18-19, 2009 Environment Ministerial. The GOI understands
that the new U.S. Administration will take some time to determine
the details of its climate policy and team, but hopes that the July
8-10, 2009 G8 Summit (with a likely Major Economies leaders'
meeting) can be an opportunity to "turn the corner" en route to the
December 2009 UN climate talks in Copenhagen. The visiting EPA
official also met informally with several faith-based leaders at the
request of the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See, to discuss
opportunities for collaboration. End summary.


2. (U) On October 3, EPA Acting Deputy Director and Senior Advisor
for the International Organizations Program of the U.S Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) James Morant met with Italian officials to
discuss plans for the 2009 G8 Environment Ministerial. (Mr. Morant
serves as the U.S. National Focal Point for the G8 Environment
Ministerial.) Key interlocutors included Environment Ministry
Director General for Research, Environment and Development Dr.
Corrado Clini and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) G8 Sous-Sherpa
for Foreign Affairs Min. Guido La Tella.

G8 Environment Ministerial - April 18-19 in Sicily


3. (U) Environment Ministry Diplomatic Advisor Min. Antonio
Bernardini said that the G8 Environment Ministerial currently is
scheduled to take place on April 18-19, 2009 in Siracusa, Sicily,
the hometown of Environment Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo (reached
by air via Catania). The Ministerial will be held in an historic
fortress overlooking the harbor, he said, so the meeting site itself
will be very secure. The challenge, from the security perspective,
will be moving delegates from their hotels to the fortress through
the narrow streets of the old city, he said. DG Clini noted that
some plans will need to be developed for the non-governmental
organization (NGO) participants likely to be drawn by the event, and
suggested that the Prime Minister's office may be working on that.
He said that the first meeting of G8 experts/senior officials to
prepare for the Ministerial likely will take place in February, on
the margins of an OECD meeting.

Key USG Messages on G8 Environmental Issues


4. (U) In the meeting with Clini and Bernardini, and later at the
Foreign Ministry, the U.S. participants noted that the USG supports
the Sherpa and Sous-Sherpa process and wants to ensure that it
proceeds effectively. They added that: the USG is keen to work with
Italy towards a successful Summit for Prime Minister Berlusconi and
for the new U.S President; that the USG is generally pleased with
the results of Hokkaido Summit; that follow-through on promises is a
key U.S. interest and the USG is eager to work with Italy to that
end; that the USG is concerned that climate change has appeared to
crowd out other critical environmental issues which deserve
attention; and that the USG therefore would seek to ensure a
balanced approach to the agenda, reviewing with Italy
environment-related priorities for 2009 and beyond.

Ministerial Format: G8 + 5 + Egypt + possibly more


5. (SBU) Bernardini noted that the Environment Ministerial likely
will include the G8 + 5 (Brazil, India, Indonesia, China, South
Africa),as well as Egypt (first Arab country invited) and maybe
some other Mediterranean countries. Other participants noted that
international organizations would be invited, as appropriate to the
final agenda. Noting that in Japan, many developing country
participants had complained they were unnecessarily excluded from
many events, Bernardini said that Minister Prestigiacomo is seized
with the issue of making the Environment Ministerial better. He
added that given the equality accorded to participants in the Major
Economies (ME) process, maintaining all the G8 distinctions between
G8 and outreach countries makes even less sense.

GOI Hoping for Newsworthy USG Statement on Climate Change at
Ministerial


6. (U) Bernardini described Italy's "dual role" vis-a-vis climate
change, as it seeks to maintain its position as a leading European
Union (EU) member but at the same time also to negotiate with the

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U.S., China and India. Mentioning that he had met with
representatives of both the Republican and Democratic campaigns
while in Boston in September, DG Clini said he understood that it
would take a while for the new U.S. administration to make any new
policy decisions on climate change quickly. But, he expressed hope
that the Environment Ministerial could be an opportunity for the
U.S. to make some newsworthy statement of its views on climate
change, "some movement forward." Mr. Morant noted that the
Environment Ministerial will likely be the first trip overseas for
the new Administration's EPA Administrator, so it could provide an
opportunity for explaining the new Administration's views. Clini
added that both campaign teams seemed focused on getting China and
India on board with an agreement, and that they, therefore, were
looking closely at technology transfer and technical cooperation
issues. He noted Italy's long involvement in China in those areas,
including building and supplying hardware and software for a key
Beijing air quality monitoring station.

G8 Summit an Opportunity to "Turn the Corner" En Route to
Copenhagen


7. (SBU) DG Clini added that the world "won't likely get a clear
climate change policy at the 2009 G8 Summit; it might possibly
happen at the United Nations (UN) climate negotiations in
Copenhagen" in December 2009, but not likely before. (Bernardini
interjected, with Clini's assent, that Italy did hope that
nonetheless the Italian G8 Summit could be an important "turning of
the corner" en route to an agreement in Copenhagen.) Clini
suggested that the U.S. and Italy therefore use the coming year to
work together in the areas of climate science and technology (S&T),
where some progress can be made while policy issues are still being
sorted out. He noted that the U.S. and Italy can work together in
the G8 format, and also on low-carbon society issues. On the
relationship between the Environment Ministerial and the Major
Economies (ME) process, Clini said that there won't be any action
items flowing from the Ministerial to the expected ME leaders'
meeting to be held along with the G8 Summit; the ME process will be
separate. Similarly, DG Clini mentioned that there will be one or
two international meetings on bioenergy issues between now and the
G8 Summit; the results of those meetings will go directly to the
Summit text negotiators, rather than through the Environment
Ministerial, he said, since the Global Bioenergy Partnership was a
G8 Summit initiative.

Foreign Ministry Seeks to Include Emerging Economies, NGOs in G8
Process


8. (U) In a meeting with MFA Sous Sherpa Guido La Tella and his
staff, La Tella stressed that Italy supports the Heiligendamm
initiatives and the ME process as ways to include emerging economies
more in the G8 process. He said Italy believes that the emerging
economies must be involved more than they were in Japan, and that
this requires more time for them at the Summit. He explained that
somewhere on day two or on the morning of day three of the three-day
Summit, there would be an ME leaders' meeting (assuming
circumstances still call for it by spring 2009). He noted that the
MFA tries to have a lot of interaction with non-governmental
organizations, with the aim of being more inclusive; this attitude
also applies to the G8. Mr. Morant noted that G8 engagement with
NGOs had evolved from a separate seminar at the 2001 Trieste
Environment Ministerial to the current practice, in which civil
society and international institution participants sit in on the
meetings themselves.

GOI to Host 2009 ME Leaders Meeting, Provided that the ME Process is
Bearing Fruit


9. (SBU) La Tella said that at the 2009 G8 Summit, Italy would plan
to have a "full Major Economies Meeting (MEM) session, provided that
the process continues and will be bearing fruit." He remarked that
"The MEM was created to overcome U.S.-European divisions on climate
change; the issue can't be solved without India, China and Brazil."
He said that "Italy was supportive of the MEM from the start, and is
still supportive." He flagged Italy's willingness to host a Major
Economies negotiators' meeting "in the first part of the Italian G8
Presidency...if need be." (The Italian G8 Presidency runs from
January to December 2009.)

Climate Change Among "Inescapable" Summit Topics


10. (SBU) La Tella listed the four topics from which the 2009 G8
Summit "cannot escape" as: 1) Financial crisis, 2)
Poverty/Development/Africa, 3) Food Security and 4) Climate Change.
Of these, he termed climate change the "most frustrating" issue he
has had to deal with as Sous Sherpa, saying that "the breakthroughs

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so far, while not insignificant, have not been major, either." He
added that "Italy is willing to put it at the top of the agenda,
provided...the required convergence of views" exists - but noted
that it "isn't there yet." La Tella said he didn't know if there is
enough time to resolve the issue by the UN meeting in Copenhagen in
December 2009. Given the change in the U.S. Administration, the USG
will require a few months to settle its new policy, he noted,
concluding, "It's too early for the G8 Summit to produce major,
major results [on climate], but we can try to use it to give an
impulse to the process, as a stepping stone."

Environment Ministerial and G8 Text Negotiations on Separate Tracks


11. (U) La Tella foresaw discussion possibilities only for two or
three environmental topics at the Summit, including climate, and
possibly biodiversity and/or forests as the other. The MFA was
particularly interested in the forest topic, and was studying it to
see if there were appropriate Summit action items in that area.
Both Environment DG Clini and La Tella noted that the G8 Environment
Ministerial and the G8 Summit text negotiations are on separate
tracks, and that there will not be an input channel from the
Environment Ministerial to the Summit track. La Tella confirmed
that the Environment Ministry would have the lead on organization
and text negotiations for the Environment Ministerial, as will other
relevant Italian ministries for the other sectoral ministerials. He
encouraged the U.S. to exchange views with Italy as to which issues
the Environment Ministerial should focus on, and which the Summit
should focus on, holding that there should not be a full overlap
between the two.

Potential Environment Ministerial Topics - Climate, Biodiversity +
What?


12. (SBU) Diplomatic Advisor Bernardini said that they were
forwarding possible Environment Ministerial topics to Min.
Prestigiacomo, and were open to including new topics in addition to
climate change, especially topics on which something enduring can be
built. Biodiversity was of particular interest, he noted; one
possible topic in that area was access and benefit-sharing (ABS).
SCICouns commented that if the GOI were looking for an "easy win,"
ABS certainly would not be one, and that it would entail the
involvement of many USG agencies in addition to EPA. Other possible
topics that Bernardini mentioned were the "3R" (reduce, re-use,
recycle) initiative; environmental governance; how to move cities
toward more sustainable energy consumption; oceans and marine
protected areas; and trade and the environment.


13. (SBU) Environment Ministry expert Federica Fricano noted that
there is a campaign to involve city mayors in sustainable energy
efforts (e.g., congestion charges/traffic restrictions),which
already includes 14 cities; the Ministry is the "focal point" for
Europe in this campaign. One idea would be to involve additional
cities, perhaps through a "twinning" program. Mr. Morant suggested
that there might be action items from previous G8 Future Forums
which could be highlighted at the 2009 Environment Ministerial,
thereby increasing follow-through and accountability in the G8
process.

Clini Calls for Renewed U.S.-Italy Cooperation on Climate Change
S&T


14. (U) Clini said that he hopes to breathe new life into the
bilateral climate S&T partnership between the U.S. and Italy, which
is coordinated for the Italian side by the Environment
Ministry-supported non-profit Euro-Mediterranean Climate Change
Center (CMCC). He noted the December 1, 2008 conference being
organized jointly by his directorate, the Embassy, the Italian
Foreign Trade Institute and CMCC, titled "Leading Low-Carbon
Technology in Italy and the U.S.: Moving Research from the
Laboratory to the Market," and suggested that one or two of his
counterparts from the State Department and/or EPA come to Rome on
December 1, to help him open the event. That would provide an
opportunity for a bilateral meeting on the margins, in which the
U.S. and Italy could discuss plans for the G8 Environment
Ministerial, as well as for the UN climate change negotiations
opening that day in Poznan, Poland, he said. (Note: While Post
would welcome State and/or EPA participation in the December 1
event, Post understands that the difficulties of travel to Poznan
may make that infeasible. Perhaps another alternative would be a
bilateral U.S.-Italy meeting with DG Clini in Poznan. End note.)
Clini added that it could be useful to "reinvigorate" participation
by the U.S. State and Energy Departments in the Environment
Ministerial.

G8-related meetings in Mexico City and Parma

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15. (SBU) Environment Ministry expert Fricano mentioned that on
November 20 a seminar will take place following up on a Japanese G8
initiative to encourage information-sharing at the city level on
promoting the transition to a low-carbon society. She said that the
meeting will take place on the margins of a meeting of mayors and
other leaders of Latin American cities; the Japanese will attend,
and will propose the idea of a network of scientific institutions
working on low-carbon-energy issues, which would include developing
country institutions. Mr. Morant noted that he was not sure that
the U.S. would participate in the event, since another meeting in
that area might not be productive. He added that a letter was in
draft explaining the U.S. views in more detail. Bernardini
separately mentioned that at the suggestion of Under Secretary to PM
Berlusconi Gianni Letta, Italy will host a G8-related Environment
and Health Conference in November 2009 in Parma (the site of the
EU's European Food Safety Authority),and would seek participation
in particular from the U.S., Japan, and Russia.

Meeting at the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See


16. (U) Embassy Vatican hosted Mr. Morant and representatives from
the Holy See and Catholic religious orders for a round-table
discussion on environmental issues on October 3. Roundtable
participants included representatives of the Franciscan, Jesuit and
Dominican orders, as well as the two Rome-based international
associations of male and female religious orders representing some
one million brothers and nuns. Participants shared their
environmental priorities and gave examples of initiatives in
multilateral advocacy, education and practical projects throughout
the world. Mr. Morant outlined U.S. engagement at the multilateral
and bilateral levels, emphasizing U.S. concern for the long-term
global impact of environmental policies. (Note: Recent statements
by Pope Benedict XVI and senior Vatican officials underline that the
environment is becoming a priority on the international agenda for
the Holy See and the Catholic Church. End note.)
SPOGLI