Obama demands carbon targets from federal agencies

US firms providing low-carbon goods and services received a major boost this week when president Barack Obama signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies to set a carbon-emissions target within the next 90 days.

Under the order, all arms of federal government have to provide the White House with targets for cutting emissions by 2020, as well as details on how they plan to measure and reduce emissions.

They will also be required to prepare specific targets for curbing emissions related to employees' commutes and travel by June 2010.

"As the largest consumer of energy in the US economy, the federal government can and should lead by example when it comes to creating innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, reduce waste, and use environmentally responsible products and technologies," Obama said in a statement.

In addition to requiring agencies to set emission targets, the order also extends an order from the Bush era requiring them to set out plans to curb the use of petrol in vehicle fleets, conserve water and limit waste.

The move is the latest in a series of measures from the White House designed to bolster US environmental credentials ahead of the international climate talks in Copenhagen in December.

The US has been repeatedly accused of blocking progress at the talks by failing to set out binding emission targets, a scenario the White House recently admitted was likely to continue given the difficulties in getting a proposed US climate bill through the Senate ahead of the Copenhagen meeting.