WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama would attend the Copenhagen summit on climate change at the end of the meeting instead of the beginning as originally planned, the White House announced Friday.

    "Based on his conversations with other leaders and the progress that has already been made to give momentum to negotiations, the president believes that continued U.S. leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on Dec. 18 rather than on Dec. 9," the White House said in a statement.

    Last month, Obama announced a 17-percent reduction target of its greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2020, which is about 4 percent emissions cut below 1990 levels. This reduction rate is about half of the requirement of the Kyoto Protocol, which the United States has refused to ratify.

    Obama was originally scheduled to be in Copenhagen on Dec. 9 before heading to Oslo to accept his Nobel Peace Prize, which some analysts said was surprising as hard talks are likely to take place at the end of the summit when more leaders will be there.

    The White House said progress has been made in recent months toward a meaningful agreement on dealing with climate change.

    "After months of diplomatic activity, there is progress being made towards a meaningful Copenhagen accord in which all countries pledge to take action against the global threat of climate change," said the statement.

    The Copenhagen climate summit is scheduled for Dec. 7 to Dec. 18, where representatives of about 190 countries are expected to renew green house gas emissions reduction targets set by the Kyoto Protocol, the first commitment period of which is to expire in 2012. It is also expected to outline the post-2012 negotiation path.

    Janos Pasztor, director of the UN secretary-general's Climate Change Support team, said Friday that there have been "several signs of optimism" recently with over 100 world leaders and 15,000people expected to attend the climate talks in Copenhagen.

    Welcoming the recent goal by Obama to cut greenhouse gas emissions and his participation in the conference, Pasztor said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon "believes that the full engagement of the United States in the multilateral process can help propel global action."

    "Head of state involvement is crucial for successful outcome in Copenhagen," Pasztor added.

    The European Union has committed to voluntarily reducing its emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020, compared with 1990 levels. The new government in Tokyo has pledged to reduce Japan's emissions by 25 percent by 2020 on the 1990 level, if other countries make similar commitments.

    However, scientists believe that developed countries should slash their emissions by at least 40 percent against 1990 levels by 2020 in order to prevent global warming from becoming disastrous.

    In the Friday statement, the White House also said the United States will pay a "fair share" of the proposed 10 billion U.S. dollars in annual aid to help developing countries cope with climate change.

    "There appears to be an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize 10 billion dollars a year by 2012" to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable and least developed countries that could be destabilized by the impacts of climate change, the White House said.

    "The United States will pay its fair share of that amount and other countries will make substantial commitments as well," the statement said. 

U.S. to pay "fair share" of climate package

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States will pay a "fair share" of the proposed 10 billion U.S. dollars in annual aid to help developing countries cope with climate change, the White House said on Friday.

    "There appears to be an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize 10 billion dollars a year by 2012" to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable and least developed countries that could be destabilized by the impacts of climate change, the White House said in a statement. Full story

Canada to twin climate change policy with U.S., says official

    OTTAWA, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Canada will do exactly the same as the United States in its policy on cutting greenhouse gases despite international pressure for it to set tougher targets, Environment Minister Jim Prentice said Friday.

    Canada will follow U.S. President Barack Obama's lead at next week's Copenhagen climate summit, and will propose to do no more, no less, than its neighbor, Prentice said in a speech to a Montreal business audience Friday. Full story

France to propose World Environment Organization at Copenhagen meeting

    PARIS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will call for the creation of a World Environment Organization at the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, the ministry said Friday.

    Kouchner plans to propose the creation of the new UN body during curtain time of the climate change conference while meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the ministry said in a press briefing. Full story

"Signs of optimism" for Copenhagen climate change summit, UN says 

    UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Just days before the UN conference on climate change in Copenhagen, there have been recent "several signs of optimism" with over 100 world leaders and 15,000 people expected to attend, said here on Friday Janos Pasztor, director of the UN secretary-general's Climate Change Support team.

    "For more than 2 years, the secretary-general has been urging heads of state to own the climate change issue as a strategic priority; a priority for the security and prosperity of their nations and for the world," Pasztor said in a press conference at the UN headquarters in New York.Full story

Indian opposition BJP urges gov't to stand firm at Copenhagen summit

    NEW DELHI, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- India's opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday told the parliament it would support the Congress-led government at the forthcoming Copenhagen summit if the government does not agree to demand from developed countries on carbon emissions and other climate change issues, reported the semi-official Press Trust of India.

    The report quoted senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi as saying when initiating discussion in the parliament on impact of climate change that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh should not side with developed countries and should instead fight for India's cause at the summit. Full story

Obama to attend Copenhagen climate summit: official

    WASHINGTON, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama will attend the climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, scheduled for early next month, a senior official from the White House said on Wednesday.

    Obama is due to be in Copenhagen on Dec. 9 before heading to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, said the official, who asked not to be identified. Full story