The United States will present a greenhouse-gas emissions target at upcoming U.N. climate-change negotiations in Copenhagen, a senior official said Monday, as President Barack Obama considered whether to attend the global conference. The Obama administration official did not say what the emissions target would be but signaled that Obama would announce it in the next few days along with a decision on whether he will fly to the Danish capital. “Countries will need to put on the table what they are willing to do on emissions,” the senior official told reporters at a background briefing. “I am not going to make an announcement here what that's going to be, but I think over the next several days, that should be able to become more clear in terms of what the U.S. might be able to do.” Sixty-five heads of government, including from Germany, France, and Brazil, already have committed to attending the meeting, which seeks a global treaty on combating climate change to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol. As the leader of the world's second-biggest polluter, Obama is under pressure from U.S. allies to attend the conference and show flexibility on new emissions targets. Any U.S. emissions target announced in Copenhagen must be realistic in terms of what can be achieved legislatively. The U.S. Senate delayed last week legislation on climate change until early 2010, confirming that a bill will not be adopted before the Copenhagen conference. A U.S. House of Representatives bill, approved in June, calls for reducing U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83 percent by 2050. The Senate's current bill calls for a 20-percetn cut by 2020. “We're cognizant of what has passed the House [of Representatives], and we're in close touch with what is being worked on in the Senate, and we'll try and craft a submission that reflects where we think we can come out,” the Obama administration official said. “We expect that a decision will be made in the coming days.” The official said it would be “a mistake to conclude” if no concrete deal is achieved in Copenhagen that it is due to the delay in the U.S. congressional effort. No meaningful treaty can be produced unless major developing countries like China and India also present meaningful solutions. Still, “The U.S. clearly has to do is part,” he said.
