Politics | Barack Obama Obama Headed to Copenhagen for Climate Talks He'll propose 17% cut in US emissions of greenhouse gases By Kevin Spak Posted Nov 25, 2009 10:23 AM CST Updated Nov 25, 2009 10:28 AM CST Copied President Barack Obama smiles during a press conference in the East Room of the White House with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Barack Obama will head to Copenhagen on Dec. 9—the day before his Nobel Prize ceremony in Oslo—to advocate for a comprehensive global climate accord. The White House had vacillated on whether Obama should go, since no one expects a legally binding treaty, insiders tell Politico. But Obama decided that he could help build momentum and consensus toward "a meaningful Copenhagen accord." Obama will propose a 17% cut in US emissions of the gases blamed for global warming by 2020. It's the first step in his long-range goal of cutting emissions 83% by 2050, the White House said. The target of 17% is the same as one laid out in the bill that passed the House in June, notes the Los Angeles Times. Read These Next New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Actor Sam Rockwell gets residuals from movie he wasn't in. Report an error