Document 4aM1EVqGb808Oww2gVybayj8Q

To: From: Sent: Subject: Jackson, Ryan[jackson.ryan@epa.gov] Myron Ebell Tue 5/30/2017 9:54:03 PM Ryan, Here are the smoking guns on the claim that Paris allows us to reduce our commitment Dear Ryan, Here are the smoking guns on the recent claim by Todd Stern and others that of course the Paris Climate Treaty allows parties to withdraw their Nationally Determined Contributions and submit less ambitious ones. Yours, Myron. From a discussion with Todd Stern, the State Department's chief climate negotiator, at Brookings on 17th December 2015--that is, the week after returning from negotiating the Paris Climate Treaty. Stern affirms that the text of Article 4 means what it says it means and not what he now says it means. Todd Stern, starting at 5:58, "Second of all, really important with respect to ambition. We started off with the completely extraordinary fact that here were 186 countries that had put forward their targets, their so-called INDCs in the lingo, during the course of 2015. And then there was an architecture built around that in the agreement of five-year cycles to ratchet those up. And countries either put in new targets or, if they're in the middle of a longer target period, they have to either revise it upward or reconfirm it every five years. And the five-year cycle follows a global stock-take to see where we are in the aggregate vis--vis our long-term goals, vis--vis what science is telling us. So you've got an every-five-year stock-take and then about a year after the every-five-year stock-take countries have to either reconfirm and say, yes, I'm going to hold where I am or I'm going to increase where I am or if they're in the period of time where they have to put in a target anyway, obviously they do. So that was really important." 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA ED_001523_00003189-00001 "So in the first set of these INDCs which are going to keep ratcheting up, again we hope every five years, that there's already been this big, big move." [T]he structure that you have these five-year review periods and the ratcheting up cycle of what countries are supposed to do built into the agreement." My colleague Chris Homer received the attached e-mail last Friday as the result of a FOIA to the State Department. The e-mail is from Michael Jacobs to Todd Stem. Here are the key statements: "When I was in DC I mentioned to you my view that INDCs should be describes as minimum or floor contributions, in order to preserve the possibility of further ambition coming later." "They have to be minimums rather than revisable in both directions, otherwise we have not real agreement in Paris at all." Myron Ebell Director, Center for Energy and Environment Competitive Enterprise Institute 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA ED_001523_00003189-00002 1310 L Street, N. W., Seventh Floor Washington, DC 20005, USA Tel direct: (202) 331-2256 Tel mobile: (202) 320-6685 E-mail: Mvron.Ebell@cei.org Stop continental drift! 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. 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VI C Mi'iV CUMA1S rCChOMY I W Gosa itom-rjsioncmw Ew.ww c Cl-naa P40H ,C 1 WkBSitb r-; I ry0ir*.py ' " , '0 \ I ft Ity I4r%^r I 14 * I r I - I ' Bl UNC.ASSiMfrO US iwartmeni of State UasoNo F--?Q^-22'2 Doc No '05836930 Date iMOt/ 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA ED_001523_00003190-00001 UNCLASSIFIED US Department of State Case Ne. F-201S-02212 DocNc 005336280 Date-05.-157017 Hartmann, torraine IritE Ti ttr _ Sub, I re e beM! of ShrSrr Urrbs '.way IWW-W,,cm 59 AM Soo 'Mm/SKT} i'jrr 5 li Uur M ' I ,, , 86 El FASE H PART B6 Gou J lw fut Ixlert Apm. when I'm sneaking at an wnt MJ REVIEW AJTHORITV Dul Vari A, A1S 1s I", l. r J. tfj . i ,-- Ml JAC1S Smnw Iwl.hWl VAtl e. .wm, I * ci .(>" is jr ar the Li-c jaJ CS-att PHOHE f WEBSITE AflORtK OWBIi WHIM WMW MW, StJ iW (in (uc, Dec 7 2014 at 2 53 PM, Stern. 7o4d lS/StCC) M rw - -ftrM-w't tng*tM( Ar ist vr e<v mmn .>g m If* < try n" ter .`t\ if nosstel? To Stem. Todd 0 (SMCC1; Siewwsk Clerc S Subject: Un HiTWCWre J jst to Sly that "I! ne tn I ima I'rem Saturday Mh rvemnf, I knew how busy you wii: be but i>. would be good hi catch up if a moment can be found When I w it, DC I mcn'.ioucd 'o you rety v>e* that INDCs should be taib<fo as w.inwm or Anew wnlritaoa-i, in order to pre^ene the pcsiihility of further ambition turning later. Have discus.-J this with a few delcRahcns and groups and there seems to ne some interest Sec helms for mere. Best - and hope tn see you next wee Michael 17cv1906 Sierra Club v. EPA ED_001523_00003191 -00001