Obama administration on how to handle the alleged global warming crisis: Hey, let's just have each country come up with their own voluntary carbon dioxide targets

US offers modest plan to rekindle climate change talks | brisbanetimes.com.au

"We consider that the agreement should provide for Parties to define their own mitigation contributions, taking into account national circumstances, capacity, and other factors that they consider relevant."

"Self-identification of measures would result in self-differentiation consistent with national circumstances, capabilities."

The proposals show that the United States is now firmly committed to a "bottom-up" approach which detractors say will fail to deliver an aggregate emissions reduction target in line with ambition to limit global average temperature rises.

The country almost certainly favours voluntary targets, rather than a formal protocol which a polarised Congress would probably not ratify.

Barack Obama statements on global warming - SourceWatch

[Nov 2008] The science is beyond dispute and the facts are clear. Sea levels are rising. Coastlines are shrinking. We’ve seen record drought, spreading famine, and storms that are growing stronger with each passing hurricane season."

"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America’s leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process. That will start with a federal cap and trade system. We will establish strong annual targets that set us on a course to reduce emissions to their 1990 levels by 2020 and reduce them an additional 80% by 2050..."