President Obama has acknowledged that the upcoming Copenhagen negotiations are unlikely to yield a binding agreement. Instead, he and other international leaders meeting in Singapore last week pledged they would work toward a more modest interim agreement in Denmark, with a promise to renew work toward a binding treaty next year, according to the New York Times.

There was one hopeful signal out of the US-China talks: the US will submit targets next month if China does too.The president, who has promised American leadership on this issue, has become cognizant of a restive Congress, which wants clear and binding commitments to greenhouse gas emission reductions from developing nations, especially those in the top tier, like China, India and Brazil.  In recent months, these three and other nations have promised publicly to slow the increase in their emissions, mindful that a binding treaty to enforce their pledges will not become international law for several years.

In the meantime, President Obama has acted aggressively in areas that do not require Congressional approval, moving to limit greenhouse gases from vehicles and large sources such as coal-burning power plants. Federal stimulus money has gone to replacing gas-guzzler cars and to improving the energy efficiency of buildings, which collectively account for more than half of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions.