THE UN’s chief climate official said last night that Barack Obama’s presence at the forthcoming international talks on global warming would be “critical”.
Yvo de Boer said the world was looking to the US to put figures on the table for the emissions cuts it was prepared to make and provide finance to help poorer countries cope with climate change as part of a new international deal.
And he warned there was “no plan B” for the UN talks in Copenhagen, which aim to secure agreement between countries on cutting the emissions which cause climate change.
The President will attend the summit on December 9 before heading to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize.
More than 60 world leaders have agreed to attend the conference on December 17 and 18 as the talks draw to a close.
The summit in Copenhagen was originally meant to deliver a signed and sealed legally-binding treaty, but in recent weeks leaders have said they see a political agreement coming out of the talks, with a legal treaty potentially drawn up later.
