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Greenhouse gases, the main cause of global warming, are at their highest ever recorded levels and continue to rise, warmed the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Tuesday.

WMO director, Michel Jarraud, warned that this current trend could be pushing the world further towards even "more pessimistic" predictions with regard to the rise in temperatures over the next few decades, and underlined the need for "urgent" action.

The United States, under major pressure from other nations as one of the world''s largest greenhouse gas polluters, will present a target for reducing carbon dioxide emissions at next month''s climate conference in Copenhagen, US officials said Monday.

The development came as the European Union urged the United States and China to deliver greenhouse gas emissions targets at the long-anticipated summit, saying their delays were hindering global efforts to curb climate change.

A panel of UN scientists has recommended that developed countries make cuts of between 25 percent and 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to avoid a catastrophic rise in sea levels, harsher storms and droughts and climate disruptions.

The EU aims for deeper cuts than most other industrialized nations, pledging to move from a 20 percent cut below 1990 levels to 30 percent if others follow suit. By 2050, it wants to eliminate most emissions, with a target of up to 95 percent.

UN

Ivo de Boer, who will be heading the UN''s convention on Climate Change in December, as requested that the EU "clarify" its objectives for reducing greenhouse emissions as well as its "short and long term plans" for helping developing countries to combat climate change.

The EU has so far delayed promising cash to poorer nations to help them tackle global arming. EU leaders have pledged to pay their fair share into an annual global fund but gave no amount.

They estimated that $100 billion ($148 billion) a year is needed and that half should come from governments. The EU''s executive suggested that the 27 EU governments should give up to $15 billion ($22 billion) a year from 2013 to 2020.