Copenhagen summit: US considers target for emissions

Gordon Brown called for a final push to secure a climate change deal at the Copenhagen summit as indications emerged that the United States was considering setting a proposed target for reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions.

By Toby Harnden in Washington and Geoffrey Lean Published: 6:45PM GMT 22 Nov 2009
Todd Stern, the US State Department's climate change envoy, said that President Barack Obama recognised the US had to produce a target for cutting its emissions, though he said any figure would have to be "provisional".
The Prime Minister said he detected a move by nations in both the developed and developing world to reach a compromise agreement.
"I hope and believe other countries will follow their example over the next few weeks," Mr Brown said. "I believe these decisions are a clear sign of growing international momentum for an ambitious, fair and effective agreement in Copenhagen."
The US declaration boosted the hopes of environmentalists pushing for a global agreement at next month's Copenhagen summit."What we are looking at is to see whether we could put down essentially a provisional number that would be contingent on our legislation," said Mr Stern. "We are looking at that, there are people we need to consult with."
The US, which along with China is responsible for 40 per cent of the world's greenhouse gases, is the only major developed country yet to set a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Copenhagen.
Although the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would cut American emissions by 17 per cent of 2005 levels by the year 2020. Mr Obama has called for legislation cutting emissions by 14 percent of 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 percent in 2050.
The Senate has yet to debate legislation and is unlikely to so before next November's mid-term elections. A draft bill proposes a 20 per cent cut in emissions by 2020 but several Democrats have said they could not support the measure.
A provisional figure would increase the chances of a deal being reached at next month's United Nations global warming summit in Copenhagen provisional target but could still be rejected on Capitol Hill.
Mr Brown warned world leaders yesterday that they "cannot afford to fail" to strike a substantial deal on climate change in Copenhagen next month.
The Prime Minister said the summit had to mark a "decisive global shift" towards tackling the problem. The comments came in a letter to Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen, formally confirming that he will attend the event in person.
Mr Brown urged other leaders to follow his example, insisting their presence sent an "important signal".
More than 60 world leaders will attend the Copenhagen conference, elevating it to the level of a major summit and improving its prospects of success.
The Danish government, which is chairing the meeting, revealed yesterday that over the last week 65 heads of Government have told it that they will attend. Many more are expected to add their names.
Those accepting included Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, President Luiz Inacio da Silva of Brazil, Prime Minister Yukio Hatayama of Japan and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia.
The Danes only formally decided to invite leaders to attend a week ago, and have been taken by surprise by the rush of acceptances. But Mr Obama, President Hu Jintao of China and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India have yet to take up the invitation.
The participation of so many leaders greatly increases the likelihood that the summit will end in a substantive agreement . While a full-blown treaty won't emerge – the cumbersome UN negotiations have moved too slowly over the last year to formulate a legal text – but hopes are rising that there will be a "political agreement" that will lead to legal document being signed within six months.