Europe: Obama Weakening Climate Treaty

From the Guardian:

"Europe has clashed with the US Obama administration over climate change in a potentially damaging split that comes ahead of crucial political negotiations on a new global deal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

"...The treaty will be negotiated in December at a UN meeting in Copenhagen and is widely billed as the last chance to save the planet from a temperature rise of 2C or higher, which the EU considers dangerous.

"...Europe is unlikely to stand up to the US (which has)...yet to offer full details on how its scheme might work, though a draft 'implementing agreement' submitted to the UN by the Obama team in May contained a key clause that emissions reductions would be subject to 'conformity with domestic law'.

"...The US has not ratified a major international environment treaty since 1992 and President Clinton never submitted the Kyoto protocol for approval, after a unaminous Senate vote indicated it would be rejected on economic grounds..."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/15/europe-us-copenhagen