"We really need a target and financial commitment, the earlier the better. If the (US) President comes in the first week to announce that, it would be a major boost to the conference," de Boer said on Wednesday in response to the announcement that the US President will attend the Copenhagen climate change con ference.
The US President is to pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the US in sever al stages, beginning with a 17% cut by 2020.
"We would need to see the number black on white. But if it is the figure, then it is in line with the range the Senate is considering and it can therefore help pave the way for a successful outcome at Copenhagen."
International development organization Oxfam America's president, Raymond Offenheiser, said President Obama should head to Copenhagen with ambitious goals to cut emissions in the US, along with a robust finance package to help poor communities cope with the serious impacts of climate change.
"The US proposal for a new global climate fund marks a potentially helpful step, and President Obama should move quickly to back it up with a commitment of substantial long-term funding,' he said.
Offenheiser said President Obama for months had stated his personal commitment to tackling climate change at the global level, and the announcement on Wednesday that he will attend the conference signalled that "he is ready to roll up his sleeves to make a climate change deal happen".
He said: "All eyes have been on the US to see whether it will shift decisively to become a global leader in the fight against climate change. But concrete offers from the US have been missing, and Congressional legislation has been slow to get to the finish line.
"Today's announcement flies in the face of predictions of failure in Copenhagen well before the conference even begins. Oxfam and other groups have urged President Obama to join negotiators and more than 60 heads of state in Copenhagen. President Obama's personal appearance and commitment to action can bring the necessary momentum to deliver a deal."
The two-week long UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen to take place from 7-18 December is seeking to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the U.N.'s current climate pact.
Lusaka - 25/11/2009
Pana
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