On Tuesday, Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on the International Aspects of Climate Change.

The hearing included testimony from Dr. Michael Levi from the Council on Foreign Relations, Nigel Purvis from Climate Advisors, Karen Harbert from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Taiya Smith from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Jake Colvin from the National Foreign Trade Council. As climate negotiations in Copenhagen draw near, the witnesses discussed how domestic and national efforts fit into a broader international agreement.

Witnesses touched on a broad range of climate-change related issues, including the role of China and India and the importance of durable U.S. domestic policy. Panelists generally agreed that while robust U.S. legislation is important, a cooperative international framework is essential, as is working with international partners. They made clear that international efforts should facilitate smart domestic policies and the domestic policies should be transparent, accountable and measurable.

Panelists emphasized that the U.S. must empower those who will work with us. Colvin and Levi both warned against measures such as taxes on carbon which could alienate potential allies, such as China and India. Harbert and Smith agreed, emphasizing that the U.S. cannot solve global climate change problems alone: India, China and other developing countries must be part of the solution.

Witnesses agreed that, as we move closer to negotiations in December, the U.S. should concentrate on incorporating domestic targets into a global framework so to produce a robust, inclusive and nationally-appropriate political deal in Copenhagen.