Obama sees chance to make mark

Six years after a fiasco in Copenhagen and a year before he leaves office, a Paris summit offers Barack Obama the chance to make his mark in the fight against climate change.

In December 2009, Obama left the Danish capital after signing on to a hastily issued statement by leaders hoping to save face.

His hair now greying, Obama will arrive on Monday in the French capital against a very different backdrop.

A deal to slow global warming seems to be within reach, even if it is less ambitious and less far reaching than first hoped.

After the terror attacks in Paris, Obama was among the first to say he would stick to his plans to attend climate talks on November 30.

Some 150 other leaders are also expected to be there.

Only a few of them, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel were around to remember what Obama has called the "disorganized mess" of Copenhagen.

This time, the ground has been well prepared in advance.

A year ago, Obama inked a deal with the planet's other major polluter, China.

For the first time, Beijing made a firm promise that greenhouse gases would peak by 2030, sending a signal to the rest of the world.

Tellingly, Obama's first meeting when he lands in Paris on Monday will be with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The negotiations in Paris will also be different, each country is setting its own targets rather than having binding targets imposed upon them.