Copenhagen Opens: Obama Fires What Bullets He Has on Climate Actions

As the pomp and circumstance subsides as the first day of the Copenhagen confab comes to a close, the Obama Administration is in full promotion mode on U.S. work on climate—despite decidedly tepid prospects for U.S. legislation to control greenhouse emissions.

The multifaceted message is being delivered in multimedia at live events, a fancy pavilion, and on a swanky Web site. (By contrast, journalists complained at U.N. climate meetings during the Bush Administration that it was difficult to get questions answered by the Administration.)

Here's their pitch: America has sped up regulations for carbon emissions for cars. It's boosted energy research way up (including, as seen today, rather wild research.) The full House of Representatives has passed a bill and the Senate has passed one in committee, allowing Obama some credibility when he committed the United States to a 17% cut in 2005 emissions by 2020, if Congress acts.

Today the Administration went the final step, announcing that EPA has legally determined greenhouse gasses to be a danger to human health under the Clean Air Act.