What is Obama's Copenhagen Tool?

This past Monday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed its compelling determination that greenhouse gases pose a danger not only to the planet, but to human health.  Over the coming year, this endangerment finding will have significant domestic implications.  Many already believe it will be just the wedge to leverage action from the Congress on pending climate legislation.  Sooner than that however, the EPA’s decision (made on the opening day of the Copenhagen conference) will send a clear signal to international delegates:

“The agency finding also will allow Mr. Obama to tell delegates at the United Nations climate change conference…that the United States is moving aggressively to address the problem.

The move gives President Obama a significant tool to combat the gases blamed for the heating of the planet even while Congress remains stalled on economy-wide global warming legislation.”

Lisa Jackson, the EPA Administrator notes:

“It also means that we arrive at the climate talks in Copenhagen with a clear demonstration of our commitment to facing this global challenge.”

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Looking for some climate tools of your own?  Try these out:

• The New York Times provides a useful “Who’s Who” of COP15.  Everything from the “Group of 77” to the “Annex 1 Countries” and all the others in between.  Includes maps!

• Confused by the various emission reduction targets?  Try this handy device. Choose the country, its base year and its reduction target.  Now you’ll really see which country is making the effort (hint: it’s not China).

• Wondering to yourself, “Hey, what’s so wrong with carbon emissions anyways?”  To answer, the National Geographic has a simple, helpful diagram, “The Carbon Bathtub.”

top photo credit: Haja Rasambainarivo on Flickr