The numbers tell the truth, Representative Edward Markey asserted this afternoon in his latest effort to overcome what global warming skeptics call "Climategate."

At the international climate change conference in Copenhagen, the United Nations weather agency reported today that this decade is on track to become the warmest since records began in 1850, and that 2009 could end up in the five warmest years. Only the United States and Canada had cooler conditions than average.

Skeptics have seized on embarrassing emails from climate change scientists to argue that the data has been doctored to prove that carbon emissions from humans is causing the global temperature rise.

The new findings beef up the "overwhelming scientific record that global warming is real and is accelerating," says Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who co-authored the sweeping climate change bill passed by the House in June.

“Global warming deniers are trying to say this is all a trick, but the truth of the matter is that our world is getting hotter, faster,” Markey said in a statement. “There is a mountain of evidence proving global warming is a fact, but the defenders of the fossil fuel status quo are using a molehill of a scandal to distract the world. The deniers will not win, because they are wrong.”

The Environmental Protection Agency's expected announcement this afternoon that it is declaring carbon dioxide a health hazard allows it to limit emissions from sources such as power plants and factories, even without congressional action.

But on the opening day of an international climate summit in Copenhagen, the declaration is also rekindling the political fight over emails that, according to skeptics, show that scientists have massaged data to show that global warming is real.

Republican Representative Darrell Issa of California called on EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to conduct a “thorough and transparent investigation into the questions raised by the disclosure of emails from Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia” and to withdraw the "endangerment" finding, as well as previous rules covering cars and light trucks.

"The very integrity of the report that the Obama Administration has predicated much of its climate change policy upon has been called into question and it is unconscionable that this Administration and Congress is willing to abdicate responsibility of uncovering the truth to the United Nations. The administration’s 'Climategate' denials and refusal to acknowledge the need for a congressional investigation are a sad abdication of their responsibility to ensure that U.S. policies are not driven by corrupted science and data,” Issa said in a statement.

But Representative Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat and key author of the climate change bill passed by the House, slammed what he and other supporters call global warming "deniers."

“Now that the U.S. government has officially ended its era of climate denial, the real endangerment to our planet comes from those who continue to deny the science and delay taking any action," Markey said in a statement.

“The finding that global warming pollution poses a threat to human health and our environment is based on mountains of data accumulated from thousands of scientists over the course of decades. The molehill recently manufactured by a few climate deniers does not change that. President Obama and the United States Congress can now travel to Copenhagen armed with regulatory credibility and emission reduction targets from the Waxman-Markey legislation. The world is watching, and the United States is acting.”

Senator John F. Kerry, who is leading the congressional delegation to Copenhagen, said Congress should heed the EPA and pass a bill.

“This is a clear message to Copenhagen of the Obama Administration’s commitment to address global climate change and a clear signal to Congress of the importance of passing comprehensive climate and energy legislation,” the Massachusetts Democrat, who is a main sponsor of the Senate bill, said in a statement. “The EPA has acted on the Supreme Court’s decision and made it clear that greenhouse gas emissions are a threat to public health in the United States and can be addressed under the Clean Air Act.

“The message to Congress is crystal clear: get moving. If Congress does not pass legislation dealing with climate change, the administration is more than justified to use the EPA to impose new regulations. Imposed regulations by definition will not include the job protections and investment incentives we are proposing in the Senate today. Given the potential for agency regulation, those who now aim to grind the legislative process to a halt would later come running to Congress to secure the kinds of incentives we can pass today. Industry needs the certainty that comes with Congressional action on this vital issue.”

UPDATE: A new poll released this afternoon found Americans more skeptical about global warming and about the US taking major steps to cut carbon emissions.

In the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey, 45 percent agreed that "global warming is a proven fact and is mostly caused by emissions from cars and industrial facilities such as power plants and factories" -- down from 54 percent in the same poll in June 2008.

Also in the poll, 58 percent said the "United States should reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases that may contribute to global warming even if it does so by itself" -- down from 66 percent in October 2007.

President Obama will huddle with former Vice President Al Gore to talk climate change, the White House announced late this morning.

Obama last week changed his schedule to attend the Copenhagen global warming summit on its final day, instead of on Wednesday, after pledges by China and India to cut carbon emissions made it more likely that an agreement would emerge. Instead on Wednesday, he is meeting with business and environmental leaders for their counsel before going to Copenhagen on Dec. 18.

Gore, of course, shared in the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work raising awareness on climate change.

President Obama, more optimistic that real progress will be made on a global climate change agreement, will go to a key meeting in Copenhagen at a more crucial time, the White House announced late this afternoon.

Obama had planned to attend the meeting Wednesday, piggybacking on an already scheduled trip to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize in Stockholm the next day.

But after moves by China and India to cut their carbon emissions, he plans to attend the summit on Dec. 18, when possible deals might be in the final stages of negotiation.

The White House statement:

"The President strongly believes that all nations have a responsibility to combat the threat of climate change. He has already taken unprecedented action to do so at home, including an historic investment in clean energy solutions that will reduce our dependence on oil and create jobs. Abroad, he has engaged leaders bilaterally and multilaterally on the issue of climate change, and agreed to participate in the climate conference in Copenhagen."

"After months of diplomatic activity, there is progress being made towards a meaningful Copenhagen accord in which all countries pledge to take action against the global threat of climate change. Following bilateral meetings with the President and since the United States announced an emissions reduction target that reflects the progress being made in Congress towards comprehensive energy legislation, China and India have for the first time set targets to reduce their carbon intensity. There has also been progress in advancing the Danish proposal for an immediate, operational accord that covers all of the issues under negotiation, including the endorsement of key elements of this approach by the 53 countries represented at the Commonwealth Summit last weekend."

"This week, the President discussed the status of the negotiations with Prime Minister Rudd, Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy, and Prime Minister Brown and concluded that 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, particularly the most vulnerable and least developed countries that could be destabilized by the impacts of climate change. The United States will pay its fair share of that amount and other countries will make substantial commitments as well. In Copenhagen, we also need to address the need for financing in the longer term to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries. Providing this assistance is not only a humanitarian imperative – it’s an investment in our common security, as no climate change accord can succeed if it does not help all countries reduce their emissions."

"Based on his conversations with other leaders and the progress that has already been made to give momentum to negotiations, the President believes that continued US leadership can be most productive through his participation at the end of the Copenhagen conference on December 18th rather than on December 9th. There are still outstanding issues that must be negotiated for an agreement to be reached, but this decision reflects the President’s commitment to doing all that he can to pursue a positive outcome. The United States will have representation in Copenhagen throughout the negotiating process by State Department negotiators and Cabinet officials who will highlight the great strides we have made this year towards a clean energy economy."

UPDATE: Representative Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, a key congressional player on global warming, praised Obama's schedule change.

“As the world awaits the advent of a new era of climate action, President Obama’s decision to attend the climate talks later in the advent calendar is an early holiday gift to the climate negotiations, and to the health of the planet," Markey said in a statement.

“By extending robust funding to the developing world to help them adapt to the worst impacts of global warming, the president is bridging one of the major gaps preventing a final, binding international agreement.”

House Republicans, meanwhile, wrote to Obama today, urging him not to agree to any carbon emissions cuts.

“We have several concerns with a binding emissions reduction scheme for the United States, including its negative impact on the American economy and specifically for small businesses and the manufacturing and agricultural sectors during these difficult economic times,” they wrote. “It is clear that a binding plan agreed to in Copenhagen would cost jobs in the United States. Congress has the sole responsibility to approve such a program and as such we would like a clarification that U.S. negotiators will not commit our government to an emissions reduction protocol at Copenhagen.” (Read the entire letter here.)

Representative Darrell Issa, the ranking Republican of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also urged the administration to investigate what he called "Climategate" -- allegations that global warming researchers doctored data to show that the planet is warming because of man-made reasons.

“The U.N.’s decision to investigate Climategate is a direct rebuke of the Obama Administration’s refusal to pursue an investigation into the possible manipulation of scientific data to generate predetermined results,” Issa said in a statement. “The very integrity of the report that the Obama Administration has predicated much of its Climate Change policy upon has been called into question and it is unconscionable that this Administration and Congress is willing to abdicate responsibility of uncovering the truth to the United Nations. The Administration’s Climategate denials and refusal to acknowledge the need for a Congressional investigation are a sad abdication of their responsibility to ensure that U.S. policies are not driven by corrupted science and data.”

Senator John F. Kerry today urged the State Department to consider increasing the US financial commitment to support international climate change priorities as officials prepare for the Copenhagen summit starting next week.

President Obama's 2009-10 budget includes about $1.2 billion, but Kerry wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that $3 billion in 2010-11 is needed.

A Senate bill, like the bill passed by the House in June, sets aside about 7 percent of proceeds from selling pollution credits "to international efforts to promote clean energy technologies, reduce emissions from deforestation, and address adaptation needs," Kerry wrote in a letter released by his office.

"The global community has agreed that $10 billion is required annually in fast-start financing to support immediate international climate change priorities. The United States must be prepared to contribute its fair share of this obligation," he added.

The Massachusetts Democrat is a lead author of the climate change bill he is trying to shepherd through the Senate and as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee has emphasized global warming as a national security issue.

His full letter is below:

He won't have a signed bill to bring with him, but President Obama is planning to attend the global warming summit in Copenhagen next month.

The White House announced today that Obama will join at least 65 other world leaders at the summit on Dec. 9. It had been planned for the signing of a new climate change agreement, superseding the Kyoto Protocol that the Bush administration refused to sign.

But with the US and other major polluters not on board, the meeting is now designed to come up with a framework for a new global warming treaty. While the US House passed a sweeping bill in June to cap carbon emissions, the legislation has stalled in the Senate as Republicans and other critics say it will lead to higher energy costs.

UPDATE: In its official announcement, the White House said that Obama -- "in the context of an overall deal in Copenhagen that includes robust mitigation contributions from China and the other emerging economies" -- is "prepared to put on the table a US emissions reduction target in the range of 17% below 2005 levels in 2020 and ultimately in line with final U.S. energy and climate legislation.

"In light of the President’s goal to reduce emissions 83% by 2050, the expected pathway set forth in this pending legislation would entail a 30% reduction below 2005 levels in 2025 and a 42% reduction below 2005 in 2030. This provisional target is in line with current legislation in both chambers of Congress and demonstrates a significant contribution to a problem that the U.S. has neglected for too long. With less than two weeks to go until the beginning of the Copenhagen conference, it is essential that the countries of the world, led by the major economies, do what it takes to produce a strong, operational agreement that will both launch us on a concerted effort to combat climate change and serve as a stepping stone to a legally binding treaty. The President is working closely with Congress to pass energy and climate legislation as soon as possible," the statement said.

The announcement appears to make it likely that any bill coming out of the Senate will have a near-term reduction target of no more than 17 percent -- the figure in the House-passed bill -- as compared to the 20 percent cut included in legislation recently passed by the Senate environment committee.

To emphasize Obama’s commitment on the issue, the White House also announced that several Cabinet secretaries and other top officials will go to Copenhagen: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, and Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner.

And, the White House said, for the first time the US delegation will have its own center at the conference, where interactive exhibits will show what the US is doing.

Obama will attend the Copenhagen summit on the way to Oslo, where he will formally receive the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10.

Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, one of the two main sponsors of the Senate bill, applauded Obama's decision, in an unusually enthusiastic statement.

“This could be one hell of a global game changer with big reverberations here at home. For the first time, an American Administration has proposed an emissions reduction target and when President Obama lands in Copenhagen it will emphasize that the United States is in it to win it. This announcement matches words with action. The Obama Administration is now undeniably mustering bona fide leadership on climate change, not merely departing from Bush Administration intransigence and ideology,” Kerry said.

Kerry, who has taken on climate change as a security issue as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is working with Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Independent Joe Lieberman to pull together a coalition of 60 votes to successfully pass a climate bill.‪

“By announcing a provisional target, contingent on the support of Congress, the President has defined a path to an international agreement that challenges the developed and developing nations of the to fulfill their obligations. It lays the groundwork for a broad political consensus at Copenhagen that will strip climate obstructionists here at home of their most persistent charge, that the United States shouldn’t act if other countries won’t join with us. It is an enormous shot in the arm for those of us working overtime to get a comprehensive bill passed in the Senate. And the fact that the President will attend the Copenhagen talks underscores that the Administration is putting its money where its mouth is, putting the President's prestige on the line,” Kerry added in the statement.

Representative Edward J. Markey, a main sponsor of the House-passed bill, also said Obama's decision is a step forward.

"By putting a serious number for U.S. emission reductions on the table, the President just called the world's bet and then raised it for our negotiating partners. The President's attendance in Copenhagen demonstrates his personal commitment to getting a deal that is good for the U.S. and good for our clean energy future. It's a powerful statement that the U.S. is back, ready to lead the world," the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement.

“In the effort to protect the planet from climate change, these are the most significant travel reservations ever made. With one trip to Copenhagen, President Obama will bring the United States to the climate table, putting U.S. leadership back on the map in the effort to fight carbon pollution."

The barrage of Republican attacks on climate change legislation appears to be having an impact: the GOP rank and file is more skeptical that global warming is real.

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released this afternoon said that the belief that climate change is happening has plummeted among Republicans to 54 percent now from the 76 percent peak in 2006.

Along with more skepticism among independents, that is driving an overall drop in the percentage of Americans who believe in global warming to 72 percent from 80 in the past year, the poll found.

A majority of all respondents still support a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions, the key piece of the sweeping climate change legislation that Democrats are trying to push through Congress. And 55 percent of respondents believe the United States should curb its carbon output even if major developing nations such as China and India do less.

Republicans say the legislation would dramatically raise energy costs, threatening to stall the economic recovery.

President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao didn't agree today on much substantial on climate change.

But these days, even goodwill among the two biggest energy producers is apparently cause for hope.

“This agreement shows that economic competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive, especially when solving the grave threat of climate change is at stake," Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts said in a statement.

“This significant agreement offers a blueprint for international clean energy cooperation between the U.S. and China, and for the rest of the world. With crucial international climate negotiations in Copenhagen just weeks away, the U.S. and China have proven today that the international community can find common ground on key energy issues," added Markey, co-author of the climate change bill passed by the House in June.

“In just a month, the conventional wisdom on US-Chinese climate politics has been turned on its head, and not a moment too soon. With just days to go before nearly 200 countries meet in Copenhagen to forge a new way forward on climate and clean energy, this agreement shows that the last remaining roadblocks are being pushed aside.”

The long-debated Cape Wind project is a significant measure of US commitment to alternative energy, Representative Edward Markey said today, urging a federal decision before the global warming conference in Denmark early next month.

Markey wrote a letter today to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, whose department has already completed an environmental review of the proposal. Read the letter here.

“Approving the Cape Wind project as the nation’s first commercial offshore wind project before the start of the U.N. conference would send a strong message to international negotiators about the United States’ commitment to developing sources of clean energy and reducing global warming pollution,” Markey, a co-author of the climate change bill that passed the House in June, said in a statement. “I strongly support the development of clean, renewable energy, and I believe that wind projects both onshore and offshore hold tremendous promise for our nation and for New England.”

With the Senate unlikely to complete action on a climate change bill before the Copenhagen conference, supporters are trying to line up any and all actions to demonstrate the US is serious on the issue.

The Senate environment committee this morning passed a sweeping climate change bill co-sponsored by Senator John F. Kerry.

The vote came without any Republican support -- in fact, no GOP senators were present because they were boycotting the proceedings until a fuller economic analysis of the legislation.

The panel did not consider any amendments to the bill, which will now be merged with bills being written in other Senate committees, the Associated Press reports.

In the face of the GOP boycott, Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, announced Wednesday that he, Republican Lindsey Graham, and Independent Joe Lieberman are trying to find a compromise that could draw a modicum of bipartisan support and pass the Senate. In June, the House passed its own version, co-authored by Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts.

UPDATE: Even though he's working on a more bipartisan deal, Kerry today applauded the committee's Democrat-only 11-1 vote.

“Congratulations to Chairman Barbara Boxer who this morning advanced landmark legislation out of her committee. She did so under the toughest of circumstances, after months of meetings, deliberations, and vigorous debate. This wasn’t easy, but her commitment was resolute. Today’s step in the process sends a clear message to the world that the United States is serious about tackling climate change and securing our clean energy future," he said in a statement.

“Working with the leaders of five other committees, building support from Democrats and Republicans across the ideological spectrum, the hard work continues on the path to 60 votes in the Senate under the leadership of Majority Leader Reid. We should remember that the 2008 Republican presidential nominee called for strong, mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and Sen. Lindsey Graham has joined us in this year’s fight. We can rediscover bi-partisan progress once again. Chairman Boxer and I are determined to see this Congress pass a strong climate bill for the President to sign. This is and has always been a big lift, but heading into Copenhagen, we have momentum on our side.”