The program, which was arranged by the Institute of International Education, offers insights into activities that lead to diversification and reliance on alternative energy in the United States at the local, state and federal levels, using advances in renewable energy sources, markets, research and innovation.
The participants are members of government agencies, regional organizations, civil society and conservation groups who are all involved in climate change adaptation and mitigation activities in their respective countries.
According to Norman Barth, Regional Environmental Officer for the Pacific, in a press release, “The Department of State is delighted to provide an opportunity to the islanders to visit the United States on a climate change study tour. The tour will give them an up-close and detailed view of how the United States is confronting this complex topic and its challenges at all levels — federal, state, and local.”
The tour is also an opportunity for the Pacific islanders to share their stories to the United States, Barth added. “We look forward to valuable people-to-people interactions as well, which will be of great benefit to America.”
Part of the program is a visit to key environmental sites in the US to help broaden the participants’ understanding on how environmental decisions formulated at the national level affect local and international interests.
Among the sites the participants will visit include the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, the world’s third largest barrier coral reef system, and the Florida Everglades National Park, the largest designated sub-tropical wilderness reserve on the North American Continent.
