Obama announces clean-energy partnership between nations of the Americas to fight global warming

April 19, 5:45 PMEnvironmental News ExaminerJ McMahon

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President Obama in Port of Spain this afternoon. (AP Photo)

The nations of the Americas will share expertise toward cleaner energy sources and a halt to global warming through a new partnership President Obama announced today as the Summit of the Americas came to a close in Trinidad.

"Through this partnership, we will harness the progress being made by nations across the hemisphere--from Brazil’s work on biofuels, to Chile’s investments in solar power, to Mexico’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, to El Salvador's work on geothermal energy," Obama said in a press conference this afternoon at the Hilton in Port of Spain.

Participating nations will assign teams to the partnership that will "encourage implementation at a more granular level," Obama said. The teams will work to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and develop renewable energy, as well as share  developments in cleaner fossil fuels. They will cooperate in developing infrastructure to deliver energy more efficiently.

The White House has not yet released a full list of the nations participating in the voluntary partnership. Obama first mentioned the partnership a day earlier, in his opening remarks to the summit assembly.

"Each country will bring its own unique resources and needs, so we will ensure that each country can maximize its strengths as we promote efficiency and improve our infrastructure, share technologies, support investments in renewable sources of energy. And in doing so, we can create the jobs of the future, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and make this hemisphere a model for cooperation."

In a separate initiative, diplomats from American nations will work toward developing an international climate agreement, which is expected to be enacted at a UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

"Our energy challenge offers us a chance to unleash our joint economic potential, enhance our security and protect our planet," Obama said.

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