Obama Headed to Copenhagen for Climate Talks

Barack Obama will head to Copenhagen on Dec. 9—the day before his Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo—to advocate for a comprehensive global climate accord. The White House had vacillated on whether Obama should go, since no one expects a legally binding treaty, insiders tell Politico. But Obama decided that he could help build momentum and consensus toward "a meaningful Copenhagen accord."

Obama will propose a 17% cut in US emissions of the gases blamed for global warming by 2020. It's the first step in his long-range goal of cutting emissions 83% by 2050, the White House said. The target of 17% is the same as one laid out in the bill that passed the House in June, notes the Los Angeles Times.
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