LARAMIE (AP) - As the nation's leading exporter of energy, Wyoming is in a unique position to respond to global climate change, a panel of state officials said.

During a University of Wyoming symposium on global warming Thursday, representatives of the governor's office as well as several other statewide agencies discussed what Wyoming is and can be doing to address global warming, as well as the challenges ahead.

The symposium was organized by a faculty group called the Climate Change Committee and coincided with a national movement to discuss environmental problem and solutions.

Rob Hurless, energy and telecommunications adviser to Gov. Dave Freudenthal, said any discussion of environmental solutions must also take into account economics and energy.

"If you don't, you're really not capturing the complexity of the problem," Hurless said. "Quick, easy solutions just don't register."

He said Wyoming can make a difference in pushing for the environmentally friendly use of coal as well as carbon sequestration.

John Corra, director of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, said that for carbon sequestration to make a real difference, it would require sequestering 3.5 billion cubic feet of carbon dioxide, or 35 million tons a year.

"You're talking about a pretty hefty number," he said.

Wyoming is participating in the creation of a climate registry, in which states and companies work together to define a structure for reporting greenhouse gas emissions.

"Things are taking hold, and there are a lot of ways we can advance the ball in this state," Corra said. "We're on the right path by doing the incremental things we can do that are within our capabilities for the state of Wyoming."

Gary Collins, Arapaho tribal liaison for the Wyoming governor's office, said American Indians are seeing the effects of global warming, including changes in big game migration and availability.

"People see it right out their front door every day," he said.

As a result, tribal groups have stepped up and become assertive in managing their resources.

"Though we're small, less than 2 percent of the population, we have a significant impact into long-range decision making in our natural resource environment," he said.