T OWARDS A S USTAINABLE A MERICA May 1999 Advancing Prosperity, Opportunity, and a Healthy Environment for the 21st Century The Presidents Council on Sustainable Development T OWARDS A S USTAINABLE A MERICA May 1999 Advancing Prosperity, Opportunity, and a Healthy Environment for the 21st Century The Presidents Council on Sustainable Membership CO-CHAIRS Ray C. Anderson, Chairman and CEO, Interface, Inc. Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Martin A. Spitzer MEMBERS John H. Adams, President, Natural Resources Defense Council Aida Alvarez, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration Bruce Babbitt, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior Scott Bernstein, President, Center for Neighborhood Technology Carol M. Browner, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency David T. Buzzelli, Director and Senior Consultant, The Dow Chemical Company Andrew Cuomo, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development William M. Daley, Secretary, U.S. Department of Commerce Dianne Dillon-Ridgley, Executive Director, Womens Environment and Development Organization E. Linn Draper, Jr., Chairman, President, and CEO, American Electric Power Randall Franke, Commissioner, Marion County, Oregon Dan Glickman, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture Samuel C. Johnson, Chairman, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. Fred Krupp, Executive Director, Environmental Defense Fund Kenneth L. Lay, Chairman and CEO, Enron Corporation Harry J. Pearce, Vice Chairman, General Motors Corporation Steve Percy, Chairman and CEO, BP America, Inc. Michele Perrault, International Vice President, Sierra Club Bill Richardson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy Richard W. Riley, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education Susan Savage, Mayor, City of Tulsa, Oklahoma John C. Sawhill, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy Rodney Slater, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation Theodore Strong, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission EX OFFICIO MEMBERS D. James Baker, Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, U.S. Department of Commerce Sherri Goodman, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense Richard Rominger, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture EMERITUS MEMBERS Richard Barth, Novartis, Inc. (Retired) Richard Clarke, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (Retired) Jay D. Hair, President, World Conservation Union LIAISON TO THE PRESIDENT George Frampton, Acting Chair, Council on Environmental Quality The federal officials who serve on the Council participated actively in developing the recommendations in this report, but those recommendations do not necessarily reflect Administration policy. The Council will deliver its report to the President for his consideration. He has not yet reviewed or endorsed the recommendations. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................................................................................i National Goals Towards Sustainable Development ..................................................................................iii Definition and Vision Statement ..................................................................................................................iv We Believe Statement........................................................................................................................................v Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................1 The Journey ..................................................................................................................................................................................2 The Unique Roles of the Council..............................................................................................................................................3 Organization of the Report and Key Findings ......................................................................................................................5 Use of this Report and Relationship to Earlier Work............................................................................................................6 Cross-Cutting Lessons ................................................................................................................................................................6 Next Steps......................................................................................................................................................................................8 Chapter 2 Climate Change............................................................................................................................9 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................10 Key Findings........................................................................................................................................................................11 Principles for Climate Protection Strategies ..........................................................................................................................10 Principles for Climate Policy ............................................................................................................................................14 Sooner is Better: Incentives for Early Action........................................................................................................................14 An Incentive-Based Early Action Program....................................................................................................................17 Technology Matters....................................................................................................................................................................18 A Systematic Approach to Accelerate Development and Deployment of Technology ........................................19 Recommendations .......................................................................................................................................................................... Electric Power ................................................................................................................................................................................................20 Transportation ................................................................................................................................................................................................21 Industry ............................................................................................................................................................................................................23 Electric Power and Industry ........................................................................................................................................................................23 Buildings ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................24 Agriculture and Forestry ..............................................................................................................................................................................25 Cross Cutting Actions....................................................................................................................................................................................26 Seeking Broader Benefits in Climate Protection Strategies ................................................................................................27 Forum on Quality of Life and Climate Change ................................................................................................................ Fostering Broad Based Community Participation ........................................................................................................30 Towards Sustainable Climate Action ..............................................................................................................................32 Chapter 3 Environmental Management ..................................................................................................33 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................34 Key Findings........................................................................................................................................................................35 Building a New Environmental Management Framework..................................................................................................34 Attributes of a New Environmental Management Framework ........................................................................................36 Improve Performance ........................................................................................................................................................36 Ensure Stewardship ............................................................................................................................................................37