Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves called upon leaders in government and business to work together to solve the world's climate-related challenges in his address at the NetZero World Industry summit.
Graves spoke on Dec. 6 to participants in the NetZero World Initiative, which he called a "key mechanism" of the Biden administration's international efforts to confront climate change, according to a transcript of his remarks.
He said the Biden administration "has made huge strides" in its efforts to meet the Paris Agreement goal of reducing emissions by up to 52% by 2030 versus 2005 levels, the transcript reports. Graves said the U.S. "will depend heavily on the innovation and dynamism of our private sector – the American companies, small and large" to hit those targets.
"As we are all aware, our decarbonization efforts are not happening in a vacuum," Graves said at the summit. "The climate crisis is a global challenge that requires partnerships with countries around the world, including developing countries."
Graves said the U.S. and its eight NetZero World partner countries "are working together to implement highly tailored and actionable technical and investment strategies to accelerate energy sector decarbonization," the transcript reports.
"NetZero World also understands that international cooperation on the clean energy transition can’t succeed through government-to-government cooperation alone," Graves said. "It’s going to require the input and engagement of the industry stakeholders that provide the cutting-edge technologies needed to make the net zero transition a reality."
Graves highlighted the prominence of U.S. businesses as "the partners of choice" for countries "pursuing ambitious climate and clean energy transition goals," and industry's important role in the Biden administration's global climate priorities, according to the transcript.
"To put a finer point on it," Graves said, "the experience, expertise, and innovative solutions offered by U.S. clean tech companies, I believe, will play a critical role in the success of Net Zero World partnerships."
Graves noted U.S. export promotion and advocacy initiatives have expedited participation by U.S. businesses in more than $3.2 billion in international climate and clean-tech projects in the past year.
"I look forward to seeing the great things we achieve through the exciting international collaborations fostered by NetZero World between the industries and governments of the United States and our partner countries," Graves said.
