"A Bridge to the Future: the High-Level Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change" is a series of meetings bringing together a selected group of distinguished policy players from diverse backgrounds to explore possibilities for finding common ground on energy and climate policy across the Atlantic. Markus Knigge, Senior Fellow at Ecologic, participated in the second session of this dialogue, which was held in Washington, DC on 20 and 21 September 2005.

The conference's focus was on market-based measures to achieve real reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at lower cost in the short term, while providing incentives for longer-term technological change.

In June 2005, the U.S. Senate voted to express its sentiment that Congress should enact a comprehensive and effective national program of mandatory, market-based limits and incentives related to emissions of greenhouse gases. The program shall slow, stop, and reverse the growth of such emissions at a rate and in a manner that will not significantly harm the United States’ economy. Also, it should encourage comparable action by other nations that are major trading partners and key contributors to global emissions.

Against this background, the second session of the High-Level Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change examined win-win opportunities for using markets to boost energy security, diversify fuel supplies, improve local air quality, promote rural sustainability and support steps toward energy independence.

The first session of the Dialogue was held in Brussels (Belgium) from 2 to 4 May 2005, and focused on recent developments and new opportunities in Europe and the United States at the intersection of climate, energy, agriculture and technology policy.

The Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change is undertaken with the generous support of the European Commission.