Democratic lawmakers hope to approve US climate bill by end of year

Feb 3, 2009, 23:28 GMT

Washington - Democratic Party lawmakers on Tuesday said they hope to approve cap-and-trade legislation that would force US industries to curb their climate-changing emissions by the end of the year.

California Senator Barbara Boxer, Democratic chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said she planned to introduce legislation within the coming weeks into her committee that would require companies to pay for emissions that contribute to global warming.

President Barack Obama has signalled a sharp shift in US climate policy since taking office last month, promising to adopt a target of reducing US emissions 80 per cent by 2050.

Boxer laid out six general principles that would go into any piece of climate legislation, including a 'transparent and accountable market-based system that efficiently reduces emissions.'

Democratic counterparts in the US House of Representatives are working on similar legislation. But there remains skepticism in both houses of Congress that could push US action into 2010.

Boxer warned that US measures would include a combination of incentives and deterrents to ensure that other countries live up to their own commitments to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming, but she offered no specifics.

Governments worldwide have committed themselves to reaching a deal by the end of the year on a new global climate treaty.

A December summit in Copenhagen has been billed as the final round of negotiations, but environmental lobby groups are skeptical that an agreement will be in place by then.

Much of the international progress hangs on US domestic policy. Action to lower emissions in the United States - the world's largest polluter along with China - is viewed as key to bringing other countries on board with tough limits on emissions.