Freiburg, Germany - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Thursday he does not expect a radical change in US climate policy after Barack Obama takes over as president.

"America as a whole is not ready for the contribution it needs to make in order to lessen the negative affects of global warming," Steinmeier said.

"The dominant issue in the US has always been energy security. In addition, there are the considerations on how it can make itself independent of uncertain suppliers like Venezuela."

The minister told an environmental conference in Freiburg, southern Germany, that Washington would take pains to ensure climate protection measures do not harm the US economy.

Democrat Barack Obama won the US presidential election on Tuesday and will take over from President George W Bush on January 20, 2009.

His victory has raised hopes that the US will change the approach to climate change of the Bush Administration, which refused to sign the Kyoto agreement on curbing carbon pollution.

A major conference is set to be held in the Danish capital of Copenhagen in 2009 to decide what will replace the Kyoto framework, which expires in 2012. (dpa)