One of the biggest sticking points for real change on carbon emissions has come from the United States, who has long asked the world to make changes that it is unwilling to make itself. After not signing the Kyoto treaty at the last major climate change summit, many are wondering if the United States will be willing to make real changes when it comes to emissions. Developing nations like China and India have already indicated that they would be unable to make changes until richer western nations like the United States stepped up and started making changes of their own. It seems hypocritical to some that the richest nations, and also the biggest polluters historically, are going to ask the third world to do things which they themselves are not doing.
President Barack Obama has been secretive about his plans for the United Nations summit on climate change with rumors circulating about the role the U.S. will play in cutting emissions. Leading up to the summit the Environmental Protection Agency released reports that directly tie global warming to human activity. Many are hoping these types of reports will pressure governments, especially the United States, to take real action at the summit, although the results are yet to be determined. Barack Obama made it part of his campaign to pledge real change on carbon emissions, but thus far his plans have been stalled by an unwilling Senate.
Although Obama’s Clean Energy Act has passed in the House, the Senate remains stalled, largely due to the efforts of Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma, who has convinced many that global warming is just part of a natural cycle.
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