Congress Faulted for Hindering President Obama on Climate Treaty

The likely failure of President Obama to reach agreement on a climate change treaty at Copenhagen was blamed in large part on Congress not having passed climate change legislation, the New York Times reported. Obama was said to be "limited in his ambitions by a Congress that is unwilling to move as far or as fast as he would like." The president claimed that "the United States has taken more steps to combat climate change in 10 months than we have in our recent history. America knows there is more work to do, but we are meeting our responsibility, and will continue to do so."

An EU official blamed a variety of nations for failing to work toward agreement at Copenhagen, including criticism of India and China for delivering "little beyond promises," the Times reported. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Chairman Rajendra K. Pachauri stated of the general failure on climate change: "It signifies an abandonment of moral responsibility that a position of leadership on the world stage clearly implies."