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BARACK Obama will attend climate-change talks in Copenhagen next month with no domestic US laws in place to back his position, after Senate leaders confirmed yesterday that debate on legislation would be delayed until next year.
The decision to put off debate on a climate-change bill that has already passed the US House of Representatives reflects a lack of time after congress has been sidetracked for weeks on far-reaching health reforms.
But the delay until March - a blow to the US President's domestic agenda - is also an indication of the lack of support among US politicians for pushing hard to curb carbon emissions at a time of economic uncertainty and high unemployment.
The US postponement is likely to be used by the federal opposition in Australia to argue against the Rudd government going it alone with a climate-change bill when US intentions remain unclear.
Senator Harry Reid, the Democrat majority leader, confirmed ...