US President Barack Obama confirmed on Wednesday he will attend a major climate summit next month, providing a shot in the arm for the talks after China said it is unlikely to cut gas emissions.
Obama's confirmation came after the United States indicated it would set targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the December 7-18 UN summit in Copenhagen, but his attendance had been seen as crucial to the negotiations.
Dozens of world leaders had already committed to attending, and while many have doused expectations that a final deal could emerge to replace the Kyoto Protocol, hopes remain for an interim agreement ahead of a full accord.
Obama himself said on Tuesday that countries must "reach a strong operational agreement that will confront the threat of climate change while serving as a stepping-stone to a legally binding treaty".
An official in his administration confirmed on Wednesday that he would attend the summit on December 9. He was already scheduled to travel to nearby Oslo on December 10 to receive his Nobel Peace Prize.
Obama hopes to "give momentum to the negotiations" by attending, a US official said.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday the summit "can and must be a turning point" in efforts to combat global warming.
China had earlier signalled the difficulty in reaching a global climate deal at the summit, saying it will not sacrifice growth to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The comments from China's special envoy to the summit showed the sharp divide between rich and emerging countries on the issue.
While defending China's refusal to accept mandatory emissions cuts at the meeting, Yu Qingtai accused developed nations of failing to fulfill pledges under the Kyoto Protocol, which is meant to be replaced by a new deal in Denmark.
China is the world's largest overall emitter of greenhouse gases, but Yu pointed out that its per capita emissions were between one-third and one-fifth of developed countries.
He said it was unlikely China would cut emissions for now.
"When a nation is in a period of fast-paced industrialisation and urbanisation, energy consumption and total emissions go up rapidly," Yu said.
Obama had sought on Tuesday to boost hopes of a deal at the Copenhagen summit as he hosted India's leader at the White House a week after visiting China.
He said that recent progress meant the world was "one step closer to a successful outcome in Copenhagen".
In a joint statement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Obama spoke of their hopes for a "comprehensive" deal at Copenhagen.
At the summit, Obama will offer to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020, a 30 per cent reduction by 2025 and a 42 per cent drop by 2030, a US official said on Wednesday.
Those numbers are roughly in line with a bill passed by the US House of Representatives in June.
The European Union has vowed to reduce emissions by 20 per cent from 1990 levels before 2020, raising the target to 30 per cent in the event of an international agreement. Japan has offered 25 per cent, but attached conditions.
Australia, the world's heaviest per capita polluter, is attempting to rush legislation through parliament curbing emissions.
Greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and a range of other sources gather in the atmosphere and trap heat, a process that scientists say leads to global warming.
With the summit fast approaching and activists as well as scientists pushing for a deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, expiring at the end of 2012, a raft of studies warning of global warming's effects have emerged.
A group of doctors said on Wednesday climate change will imperil health through malaria, cholera, heatwaves and hunger, but many problems can be eased or avoided if countries make wise policy choices.
Another report from scientists this week said the planet could be getting much hotter, much faster than anticipated only two years ago.
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