The effort is widely seen as stalled. But backers hope that with new leadership, the United States, seen as a roadblock to the treaty, will now help spur the process forward.
In his victory speech Tuesday, Obama prominently cited a “planet in peril” as a pressing concern. But he is expected to face a struggle persuading Congress to approve new national climate legislation, including an emissions trading program that he supports, and to back any new international treaty.
Obama—like many leaders in Europe—believes that nations able to develop technology to cut emissions could profit handsomely. But his plans to push technology development may be hampered by the global economic crisis.
