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Obama makes ag climate commitments at UN

NEW YORK CITY — President Barack Obama today spoke at the United Nations Climate Summit here and the White House released a fact sheet that includes the U.S. commitments on programs to address agriculture climate change issues.

“For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week — terrorism, instability, inequality, disease — there’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate,” Obama said.

In his discussion of the U.S. record, Obama said “We’re helping farmers practice climate-smart agriculture and plant more durable crops. We’re building international coalitions to drive action, from reducing methane emissions from pipelines to launching a free trade agreement for environmental goods. And we have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with many of you to make the Green Climate Fund a reality.”

And in a reference to resistance to his climate change efforts in the United States, he added, “But let me be honest. None of this is without controversy. In each of our countries, there are interests that will be resistant to action. And in each country, there is a suspicion that if we act and other countries don't that we will be at an economic disadvantage. But we have to lead. That is what the United Nations and this General Assembly is about.”

The White House fact sheet lists the following U.S. commitments on agriculture issues:

The Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture


The United States is a founding member of this group which hopes to bring together governments, businesses, farmers’ organizations, civil society groups, research bodies and intergovernmental entities to address food security in the face of climate change. The United States will bring its existing food security and climate programs to this effort, including:
  • Feed the Future — The U.S. Presidential initiative for food security, invests in technologies to deliver drought tolerant seeds, fertilizer and water efficiency technologies, and other tools to help farmers become more climate-smart in achieving its objectives of inclusive agricultural sector growth and improved nutrition.
  • The Agriculture Initiative of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) — The United States co-chairs CCAC’s Agriculture Initiative, which seeks to reduce methane and black carbon emissions while promoting agricultural livelihoods and advancing broader climate change objectives on adaptation and mitigation.
  • The Agriculture Department’s Regional Climate Hubs — Will deliver information to American farmers, ranchers and forest landowners to help them adapt to climate change and weather variability.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is expected to elaborate on these initiatives at a meeting to launch the Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture on Wednesday, also in New York.

White House — Executive Order: Climate-Resilient International Development
White House — Fact Sheet: Obama Announces New Actions to Strengthen Global Resilience to Climate Change and Launches Partnership to Cut Carbon Pollution
Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture