Obama arrives in Copenhagen as world leaders make last ditch effort to reach climate change deal

By Jason Groves and David Derbyshire

U.S. President Barack Obama addresses the delegates at the conference after world leaders worked through the early hours to try and beat today's deadline for a deal on cutting emissions


U.S. President Barack Obama flew into Copenhagen today to join the final day of climate change talks, amid hints he might improve America's roundly condemned offer to cut carbon emissions by just four per cent.

His arrival comes after world leaders worked into the early hours of this morning trying to hammer out an initial draft of a United Nations climate deal.

The talks had been looking promising late on Thursday night, but fell apart in the early hours when the bitter divisions between rich and poor countries re-emerged.

According to insiders, tired and grumpy delegates got bogged down debating procedure - rather than the bigger issues.

Addressing the delegates this afternoon President Obama said that 'all major economies must put forward decisive national actions that will reduce their emissions, and begin to turn the corner on climate change.'

And he said that climate change 'poses a grave and growing danger to our people'.
He went on: 'I'm confident that America will fulfill the commitments that we have made: cutting our emissions in the range of 17 percent by 2020, and by more than 80 percent by 2050 in line with final legislation.

'Second, we must have a mechanism to review whether we are keeping our commitments, and to exchange this information in a transparent manner.

'These measures need not be intrusive, or infringe upon sovereignty. They must, however, ensure that an accord is credible, and that we are living up to our obligations. For without such accountability, any agreement would be empty words on a page.

'Third, we must have financing that helps developing countries adapt, particularly the least-developed and most vulnerable to climate change.

'America will be a part of fast-start funding that will ramp up to $10 billion in 2012. And, yesterday, Secretary Clinton made it clear that we will engage in a global effort to mobilize $100 billion in financing by 2020, if - and only if - it is part of the broader accord that I have just described.


source: dailymail