Obama's Copenhagen switch shows climate commitment

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to attend U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen at the end of the process rather than the beginning shows the White House is serious about pursuing a deal to curb global warming.

It does not, however, make the U.S. proposal at the talks significantly stronger.

The cuts in U.S. greenhouse gas emissions promised by Obama -- key to an international deal to address global warming -- will not be more aggressive because of his later attendance at the talks.

The United States will pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions roughly 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. European nations and many developing countries want Washington to go significantly further. Obama's new travel plans will not assuage those concerns.

The White House's switch, announced in a statement on Friday, offers some positive signals for the talks, though, and could be critical in helping to reach an agreement.

Specifically, it signals a greater willingness to help developing countries pay the costs of adapting to climate change, which could be key to the final outcome of the talks.

Here is a look at what has changed and what the shift means:

- The White House announced last week that Obama would attend the December 7-18 talks on Dec 9 -- drawing praise for his attendance but confusion about its timing.

Some 100 other world leaders have agreed to come at the end of the talks to sign off on a political agreement.

Obama's switch shows he has listened to criticism that his presence was more important at the end of the talks. It shows the White House is willing to be flexible if it means moving the U.N. process along.

It also deflects potential criticism on December 9 that his quick fly-by on the way to picking up the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo was a photo-op.

- White House officials have said quietly since the original decision to go on December 9 that Obama would consider returning for the end of the talks.

But they were not eager to have him show up if a deal appeared elusive.

Proposals from developing countries in the last few days have clearly moved the negotiations far enough along that Obama's advisers decided failure was no longer a big risk.

- A key stumbling block left in the talks revolves around climate funding for developing nations. In the statement announcing the change in Obama's attendance the White House clearly said Washington would help with the financial burden.

"There appears to be an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize $10 billion a year by 2012 to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries," the statement said.

"The United States will pay its fair share of that amount and other countries will make substantial commitments as well."

Note the phrasing "pay its fair share." That signals a greater commitment than U.S. officials have so far been willing to make on funding, while leaving negotiators room to wrangle a final figure in Copenhagen.

- Politically, the shift also makes Obama look more presidential. Mingling with lower level climate negotiators on December 9 is not the same as standing out among a group of heads of state and government on December 18.

(Editing by Paul Simao)