Gov. Jim Doyle announced Thursday he will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference with other global leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The conference, which will take place Dec. 7 to 18, plans to address renewable energy developments, energy efficiency, job creation in renewable energy fields and greenhouse gas emission reduction, according to a statement released by Doyle’s office Thursday.

“The governor has long tried to advance relationships with other countries, so that we can come up with a worldwide strategy to adopt clean energy,” said Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner.

Along with Doyle, the statement said the conference will host governors from different states and premiers from various Canadian and Australian provinces.

“I think it’s important for Wisconsin to represent the U.S. and help our nation to lead the way on the international front,” said Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, chair of the Committee on Natural Resources.

Doyle will also meet with business leaders to discuss how to create more “green” jobs in Wisconsin.

Rep. Nick Milroy, D-Superior, Natural Resources Committee member, said he believes developing renewable energy technology is the best way to stimulate Wisconsin’s economy and replace manufacturing jobs that have left the state.

“With the natural resources we have, we’re in a unique position to develop more environmentally friendly energy sources,” Milroy said.

While the state currently advocates replacing 10 percent of its energy portfolio with renewable sources by 2015, Sensenbrenner said Doyle has pushed to increase the goal to use 25 percent renewable energy by 2025.

Some dissenters are not sure what effect renewable energy will have on the economy, like Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesperson Kristin Ruesch.

Black said along with Wisconsin’s large manufacturing workforce and university research, the state’s lack of non-renewable sources could make it the ideal location for energy innovations.

“Right now we’re sending all of our energy money out of state, but that could change if we position ourselves at the forefront of developing renewables,” Black said.

However, Ruesch said that legislators might be acting hastily in calling for further implementation of renewable sources, saying we should not rule out using nuclear energy, as well.

“We need to see the full impact of the goals that we’ve already set in renewable energy before we set new ones,” Ruesch said.

Ruesch said she was concerned where the money for Doyle to attend the conference was coming from; she said with the financial situation of the state taxpayers could not afford unnecessary spending.

While there is dispute over which alternative energy source to use, Ruesch, along with Dan Kohler, director of the environmental advocacy group Wisconsin Environment, both agree Wisconsin needs to move away from using “dirty” coal.