White House says Obama will attend Copenhagen

US president Barack Obama will travel to Copenhagen to kick off global climate talks, the White House officially announced today.

Obama will travel to the Danish capital for the UN conference on 9 December, one day before he visits nearby Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The president’s decision to go is a sign of his continuing commitment and leadership to find a global solution to the global threat of climate change, and to lay the foundation for a new, sustainable and prosperous clean energy future, " said a statement from the White House.

Obama will tell the delegates to the climate conference that the US intends to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions “in the range of” 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83 per cent by 2050.

"This provisional target is in line with current legislation in both chambers of Congress and demonstrates a significant contribution to a problem that the US has neglected for too long," the White House statement said.

There had been doubts about whether or not the president would attend the climate change conference.

The administration has resisted delivering a firm pledge on emissions reductions until now because Congress has not yet acted on global warming legislation and several large developing nations, including China and India, had not detailed their own plans.

With less than two weeks to go, a consensus was growing that a global deal would not be reached at Copenhagen.

But following talks with Obama, both China and India have now made positive statements on their plans, prompting the US to do the same.

"Based on progress made in recent, constructive discussions with China and India’s leaders, the president believes it is possible to reach a meaningful agreement in Copenhagen," the White House statement added.

A number of other US officials, including energy secretary Steve Chu and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, will also attend.