Obama Calls For Climate Change Agreement

President Barack Obama today called for completion of a new global agreement on climate change that holds nations accountable for meeting pledges of limiting their greenhouse gas emissions.

Obama spoke on the last scheduled day of a two-week United Nations meeting in Copenhagen that is supposed to pave the way for completion of a new climate change treaty in 2010. After working through much of the night, negotiators resumed discussions on an agreement in closed session today. The talks could possibly spill into an extra day tomorrow.

Many at the Copenhagen gathering had hoped Obama would make a major announcement at the meeting that would provide a breakthrough in the nearly stalemated global talks.

Instead, Obama said, "At this point, the question is whether we will move forward together or split apart, whether we prefer posturing to action." Several environmental groups characterized Obama's speech as a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.

The President highlighted the need for the world to take steps to tame human-induced global warming.

"While the reality of climate change is not in doubt, our ability to take collective action hangs in the balance," Obama said. International negotiations on climate change have taken place for two decades, he pointed out. "We have very little to show for it," other than an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

"It is in our mutual interest to achieve a global accord in which we agree to certain steps, and to hold each other accountable to certain commitments," Obama continued.

Obama stressed that any new climate deal needs to include reviews of whether countries are keeping their commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Countries must exchange information needed for such verification in a transparent manner, he said.

China and other emerging economies have been reluctant to agree to international verification of their commitments to curb the growth in their greenhouse gas emissions, saying this would encroach on their national sovereignty.

Obama insisted that verification of emission curbs "need not be intrusive." He said, "They must, however, ensure that an accord is credible, and that we are living up to our mutual obligations. I don't know how you have an international agreement where we all are not sharing information and ensuring that we are meeting our commitments. That doesn't make sense."

"That applies to the U.S. as well," commented Carter Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund, following Obama's speech. "The only way the world can be sure the U.S. is standing behind its commitments is for the President to clearly state that climate change will be his next top legislative priority."

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Select Committee for Energy Independence & Global Warming, said, "President Obama is courageously asserting his leadership during the most complicated political transaction in the history of the planet." Markey is part of a House delegation in Copenhagen.

While in Copenhagen, Obama met privately with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, but results of their discussions are not yet public.

As Wen addressed the summit today, he reiterated China's commitment to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide it emits per unit of gross domestic product by 40 to 45% compared to 2005 by 2020. "We have not attached any condition to the target nor have we linked it to the action of any other country," Wen said through a translator.

In other news at the conference, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made a surprise announcement. He said Brazil is willing to contribute financing to help poor countries adapt to and mitigate climate change.

Brazil will chip in to the international funding if an agreement is reached in Copenhagen, da Silva added after being interrupted by enthusiastic applause at the summit.