It is not for nothing that the pithily-entitled 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP15 for short, has been described as "the most difficult talks ever embarked upon by humanity". Some 17,000 delegates, campaigners and journalists will all be attempting to make their voices heard. A total of 98 leaders and heads of state will be in Copenhagen at some point during the two-week summit with most, including French president Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and German chancellor Angela Merkel, below, attending for the crucial final two days on 17-18 December. The prime minister Gordon Brown is also expected to attend in the second week. A notable exception to this is Barack Obama, above, The American president, and potentially the most important individual to attend, will be arriving for one day only next Wednesday before departing to Oslo to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize. The White House insists that Mr Obama's early and brief attendance to provide "impetus" to the talks.
It is not for nothing that the pithily-entitled 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP15 for short, has been described as "the most difficult talks ever embarked upon by humanity".
Some 17,000 delegates, campaigners and journalists will all be attempting to make their voices heard. A total of 98 leaders and heads of state will be in Copenhagen at some point during the two-week summit with most, including French president Nicolas Sarkozy, left, and German chancellor Angela Merkel, below, attending for the crucial final two days on 17-18 December. The prime minister Gordon Brown is also expected to attend in the second week. A notable exception to this is Barack Obama, above, The American president, and potentially the most important individual to attend, will be arriving for one day only next Wednesday before departing to Oslo to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize. The White House insists that Mr Obama's early and brief attendance to provide "impetus" to the talks.
Barack Obama has bowed to international appeals for America to demonstrate commitment to action on global warming, and said he will join other world leaders for the crunch negotiating sessions of the Copenhagen climate change summit.The White House, in a statement from the press secretary, Robert Gibbs, last night said Obama would adjust his original travel schedule, under which he would have dropped in on the summit on 9 December, en route to receiving his Nobel peace prize in Oslo."The president believes that continued US leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th," the statement said. "There are still outstanding issues that must be negotiated for an agreement to be reached, but this decision reflects the president's commitment to doing all he can to pursue a positive outcome."
Barack Obama has bowed to international appeals for America to demonstrate commitment to action on global warming, and said he will join other world leaders for the crunch negotiating sessions of the Copenhagen climate change summit.
The White House, in a statement from the press secretary, Robert Gibbs, last night said Obama would adjust his original travel schedule, under which he would have dropped in on the summit on 9 December, en route to receiving his Nobel peace prize in Oslo.
"The president believes that continued US leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th," the statement said. "There are still outstanding issues that must be negotiated for an agreement to be reached, but this decision reflects the president's commitment to doing all he can to pursue a positive outcome."
