Prompts winter weather advisories as cold air moves in Friday night

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President Barack Obama announced Friday a
"meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough" on a global effort to
curb climate change.


      But Obama said, "It is going to be very hard, and it's going to
take some time" to get to a legally binding treaty.


      A deal reached by the United States, China, India, South Africa
and Brazil includes a method for verifying reductions of
heat-trapping gases, a senior administration official said. The
official, speaking on the condition of anonymity before Obama
spoke, characterized the deal as a first step, not yet enough to
combat the threat of a warming planet.


      Under the agreement, the official said each country also will
list the actions it will take to cut global warming pollution by
specific amounts. The deal reiterates a goal that eight leading
industrialized nations set earlier this year on long-term emission
cuts and provides a mechanism to help poor countries prepare for
climate change.


      Obama addressed reporters traveling with him after racing from
one impromptu meeting to another in snow-covered Copenhagen and
delivering an animated plea for compromise on the final day of a
193-nation United Nations summit focused on curbing global warming.


      The president had planned to spend only about nine hours in
Copenhagen as the summit wrapped up after two weeks. But, as an
agreement appeared within reach, he extended his stay by more than
six hours to attend a series of meetings aimed at brokering a deal.

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Environmental News

President Barack Obama announced Friday a
"meaningful and unprecedented breakthrough" on a global effort to
curb climate change.


Obama: "meaningful breakthrough" on climate change

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