Obama addresses power and energy sector emissions in Berlin speech

President Barack Obama gave a speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Wednesday and announced steps to address climate change, including regulating carbon emissions from existing power plants in the U.S.

The White House within the next few weeks is expected to outline executive actions to be taken by the Environmental Protection Agency and other departments and Obama’s climate aide Heather Zichal previewed the plan in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

Obama described climate change as the "global threat of our time" and he highlighted United Nations-led talks that are aimed at striking a new global accord in 2015 that would come into force in 2020.

Zichal, deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change, has revealed taht climate change mitigation and adaptation will be a focus during Obama's second term and will not require new funding or legislation by Congress.

Reports have suggested that the administration plans to enhance standards for energy efficiency in appliances; expedite the development of clean energy on public lands; and, use the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions in the power and energy sectors.

Obama’s announcement follows criticism from different quarters for not delivering on campaign promises and former Vice President Al Gore last week urged Obama to move beyond "great words" to "great actions," while many environmental groups and states have threatened to sue the Obama administration to force cuts to power-plant emissions, according to CBS News.

At the same time, however, Obama’s climate change strategy could provoke legal action from Republicans and certain industries, the Times report said, noting that reforms on power-plant emissions have been one of the most closely-followed within the larger climate change legislation.