US climate legislation not vital for Copenhagen talks, says Obama advisor

An advisor to President Barack Obama and director of the New America Foundation's Climate Policy Program, Terry Tamminen, has said international progress on climate change does not depend on the US passing legislation first.

The necessity for federal legislation to be in place in time for the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) in Copenhagen in December this year was dismissed by Tamminen in a press briefing in London yesterday.

"A federal bill would be nice as it would bring the languid states, such as Texas, into the equation. But I don't think we need it to go forward at Copenhagen," he said.

When questioned on the US's recently announced, and much criticised, greenhouse gas emissions reductions

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