Ahead of Copenhagen, a Meeting with Al Gore

President Barack Obama meets with former Vice President Al Gore in the Oval Office in advance of his Wednesday meeting with business and environmental leaders at the White House regarding the Copenhagen conference, Dec. 7, 2009. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza) December 7, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

President Barack Obama met with former Vice President Al Gore in the Oval Office today in advance of his trip to Copenhagen where he will participate in the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The White House recently announced that, in the context of an overall deal in Copenhagen that includes robust mitigation contributions from China and the other emerging economies, the President is prepared to put on the table a U.S. emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020 and ultimately in line with final U.S. energy and climate legislation.

This announcement was met with strong support from a diverse group of leaders, including former Vice President Al Gore:

“President Obama took an important step today with the announcement that he will attend the global warming treaty talks in Copenhagen.

This action is another example of the significant change in policy on the climate crisis.…Those who feared that the United States had abdicated its global responsibility should take hope from these actions and work towards completing a strong operational agreement next month in Copenhagen and guidelines for negotiators to complete their work next year on a comprehensive treaty.

It is my hope that the Senate will support the President and move quickly to pass climate and energy legislation early next year in order to ensure that the world moves toward speedy solutions for the climate crisis.”