President Obama will set U.S. target for carbon emission reduction prior to Copenhagen

President Barack Obama, Monday, Nov. 23, 2009
AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

A White House official stated on Monday that the United States would set a goal for the reduction of carbon emissions before the summit in Copenhagen, BBC News has reported. The lack of a U.S. commitment has been a primary concern for reaching a consensus at the meeting in December.

The proposed reduction percentage is expected to mirror the levels in the carbon reduction bill which passed the U.S. House, as well as the levels presently being debated in the Senate’s version. The amount indicated would be a reduction of 17% to 20% below the 2005 Carbon Dioxide levels by the year 2020. Although this commitment is vital to successfully reaching an agreement in Copenhagen, the final bill that is passed in the U.S. Congress may change these levels dramatically.

Concerning the news of a U.S. target, climate change specialist Saleemul Huq, who is with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), stated to BBC News, “I think it's an extremely good signal that the Obama administration is willing to put a target forward and not wait for Congress.” He continued, “The targets that everyone is taking to Copenhagen are the bases for negotiation; and hopefully, the negotiations will see everyone coming up with more ambitious targets - otherwise there's no point in going to Copenhagen, we could leave it all up to the US Congress. The other important factor is whether President Obama is willing to go to the summit - if he does, that would be a very good sign.”

President Obama has thus far not decided if he will attend the Copenhagen summit. According to BBC News, President Obama will most likely attend the summit if he feels his attendance would help the group agree to a proposal.

In addition to the United States President, the leader of China and the leader of India have not yet committed to attending.

Some of the 60 countries whose leaders have committed to attending the summit in Copenhagen are Britain, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Japan, and Indonesia.

Copyright © 2009 by Raymond Gellner