President Barack Obama plans to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which begins Dec. 7 in Copenhagen, Denmark. According to the White House, the president is ‘eager to work with the international community to drive progress toward a comprehensive and operational Copenhagen accord.’
At the conference, Obama will present a U.S. emissions-reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020. In light of the president's goal of reducing emissions by 83% by 2050, the expected pathway set forth in this pending legislation would entail a 30% reduction below 2005 levels in 2025 and a 42% reduction below 2005 levels in 2030.
This provisional target is in line with current legislation in both chambers of Congress and demonstrates a significant contribution to a problem that the U.S. has neglected for too long, the White House says.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson are also scheduled to attend the conference, along with Council on Environmental Quality Chairwoman Nancy Sutley, Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner.
SOURCE: White House
