More than 600 climate change leaders from across the country and around the world convened in Los Angeles Nov. 18 for the opening sessions of the Global Climate Summit, a 2-day event arranged by Governor Schwarzenegger to break gridlock on the issue ahead of next month’s UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland.

In a short video addressed to the Summit’s attendees, President-elect Obama emphasized his enthusiasm for the Poznan Conference and promised that his administration would mark a “new chapter in American leadership on climate change.”

“Few challenges facing America — and the world — are more urgent than combating climate change,” he said. “Many of you are working to confront this challenge….but too often, Washington has failed to show the same kind of leadership. That will change when I take office.”

Do yourself a favor and listen to Obama’s promise to tackle the climate crisis with the all-out effort it deserves: http://change.gov/newsroom/entry/president_elect_obama_promises_new_chapter_on_climate_change/