US President Barack Obama has decided to attend the end of the Copenhagen climate change summit, a change in plans that the White House says is due to increasing momentum towards a new global agreement. Originally, Obama was set to attend the summit in Denmark on December 7-18 before heading to Oslo to receive his Nobel Peace Prize. However, some European officials and environmentalists were surprised by this decision, noting that the most crucial discussions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions would likely happen towards the end of the summit when many other world leaders are also expected to be present. The White House released a statement saying that progress is being made towards a significant agreement in Copenhagen where all nations would commit to combating climate change. Danish officials have confirmed that over 100 world leaders will be in attendance at the conference, which is seen as a key step towards a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The White House stated that the president believes it would be more productive for him to participate in the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th rather than on December 9th, based on his discussions with other leaders and the progress already made in negotiations. The Obama administration is pleased with recent commitments from China and India to reduce emissions and the consensus on increasing funding to assist developing nations with climate change. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown both welcomed Obama's decision to attend, seeing it as a positive step towards reaching a comprehensive climate agreement in Copenhagen. The United States plans to pledge a 17 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 compared to 2005 levels at the conference. It was the final major industrialized nation to establish a goal for reducing greenhouse gases as part of a United Nations-led effort to combat the increasing global temperatures that could lead to more extreme weather events and rising sea levels. The Copenhagen meeting is expected to result in a political agreement that includes targets for emissions reductions by wealthy countries by 2020, with the discussion on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol postponed until 2010. President Obama discussed the negotiation progress with several world leaders, and there is a growing consensus that a key aspect of the Copenhagen agreement should involve securing $10 billion annually by 2012 to assist developing nations in addressing climate change. The United States has agreed to pay their fair share of the amount, with other countries also making significant commitments. Environmentalists praised Obama's decision, with some calling for him to adjust his administration's emission reduction targets as well. Greenpeace International's political climate coordinator, Martin Kaiser, stated that Obama's decision to move the meeting date was a response to global pressure, and now he needs to adjust his targets and financial contribution to align with climate science.