The Mercury
Source: AP
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he's hopeful the US Senate will pass a significant bill to limit carbon emissions.
But deep divisions in Congress on how to deal with climate change mean a bill is not likely before the end of the year.
However, Mr Ban said he thinks the US can come up with an ambitious measure that will encourage other nations to act on carbon emissions.
"I'm very encouraged by the strong commitment by the Obama administration,'' he said.
Ban is on a two-day trip to Seattle to promote action on climate change and UN initiatives on poverty, hunger and health, along with improving the perception the American public has of the UN.
He met earlier with Bill and Melinda Gates and later in the day received an honorary degree from the University of Washington.
Mr Ban has been pressing nations to commit to firm emission limits when they meet in December in Copenhagen to work out a new treaty to slow global warming.
The meeting has been billed as a last chance to avoid the impact of catastrophic global warming. This week, the Senate environment committee will take up its version of a global warming bill.
The legislation could cut greenhouse gases by about 80 per cent by 2050 and require more domestic energy to come from renewable sources.
But with work still to be done on healthcare and deep divisions in Congress over how to deal with climate change, chances the Senate will pass a climate bill by the end of the year are slim.
That means US negotiators are unlikely to have firm targets set before the Copenhagen meeting.
Ban said he planned to meet with Senate leaders to encourage the passage of the climate bill.
By doing so, the Senate "can have a huge political impact for other negotiators of other counties.''