would cut its greenhouse gas emissions by “in the range of” 17 percent
below 2005 levels by 2020, an expected step that nevertheless bolsters
the global warming deal brokered in the final hours of the
In a letter to
officials, the administration formally associated itself with the
so-called “Copenhagen Accord,” submitting an emissions-reduction pledge
that the administration said would be specified in more detail once
Most of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters are expected to follow suit.
The
deadline to list emissions targets and “associate” themselves with the
Accord, though U.N. officials said this month the date is flexible.
The Accord is not a legally binding treaty, and it was not officially adopted by the 193 nations that gathered in
in hopes of negotiating an agreement to replace the expiring Kyoto
Protocol. It includes measures to verify that nations are meeting their
emissions targets, but no penalties for countries that fall short.
The small island Republic of the
also signed onto the deal Thursday, pledging to cut emissions by 40
percent by 2020 — and calling on nations to immediately adopt a legally
binding treaty.
“The
we’ll also suffer if there’s a lowest-common-denominator agreement.”
U.S. Special Climate Envoy Todd Stern called the
Accord “an important step forward by the global community to address
climate change and mitigate its impacts” in his letter to the U.N.
He said the 17 percent range target, which Obama
announced late last year, showed the President’s “continued commitment
to meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge through robust
domestic and international action that will strengthen our economy,
enhance our national security and protect our environment.”
Stern did not say what would become of the pledge if
prospects appear uncertain amid the protracted fight over health care
and Democrats’ increasing nervousness about the mid-term elections.
—
(c) 2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
