The biggest obstacle until now has been the United States. The Clinton administration had called for bold action as far back as 1993, proposing what was in effect a tax on carbon emissions; but an alliance of polluters, led by the coal, oil, and auto industries beat back this initiative.
欧洲和日本明确表示了宁愿给本国政府和制造企业增加成本，也要缓解全球变暖的燃眉之急，即使这样做会损失自己在竞争中的优势地位也在所不惜。美国是迄今为止最大的障碍。克林顿政府早在1993年就呼吁采取有效措施，并实际提出对碳排放征税，但以煤炭、石油和汽车行业为首的污染企业联盟击败了这项提案。