Obama to Face Tough Balancing Act in Talks on Climate Change at U.N.

When President Obama stands before a U.N. summit on Tuesday, he'll have to confront an international community that wants the United States to cut its carbon emissions by 25 to 40 percent over the next 10 years.

Critics argue that would mean cuts in energy usage at home, a choice that the Senate refused to consider the last time emissions cuts were agreed to among U.N. members -- in the 1997 Kyoto treaty.

This time, however, the president goes up with more support from home.

"President Obama is going to reassure the rest of the world that the U.S. is once again back at the table in terms of the negotiation process for getting an agreement on global climate change," said Andrew Light, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.

"I think he will also tell the assembled leaders at the U.N. that the American legislative process will not interfere with us getting some kind of an agreement out of Copenhagen," Light said, referring to U.N. negotiations to be held in Denmark in December.

The U.S. House has passed a bill to cut emissions through a climate change bill better known as cap-and-trade. But Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid has indicated the Senate is unlikely to to take up such legislation any time this year.

Obama will have to tread carefully on what he says the United States is willing to do because without congressional action, he can not pledge specific targets for emission reductions or timetables to meet them.

"He's going to have to be realistic. He's not going to lay down specific numbers because Congress hasn't delivered that to him yet, but there's a lot that he can make clear to the rest of the world, particularly in terms of what he expects from the major developed countries," said Micahel Levi, David M. Rubenstein a senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations.

"That will be useful in injecting a bit of realism into the international negotiations," Levi added.

But Myron Ebell, director of energy and global warming policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said Obama shouldn't count on Congress at all.

"I think a lot of senators are wary about moving forward with anything," said Ebell. "Energy rationing is not popular at a time when we have 10 percent unemployment and the prices of things are going up without government action, let alone adding more government policies on that will start ratcheting energy prices up and taking more jobs away."

The House plan, authored by Democratic Reps. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Henry Waxman of California, and supported by Obama, would reduce emissions through a
cap on the amount of carbon emissions allowed each year. The cap would shrink by 2 percent a year, meaning a reduced use of coal and dependence on other, likely more expensive energy.

But even if legislation passed at home, controversy remains abroad among the big three international blocs -- the United States, the Europeans and the developing nations.

"It's very difficult to come to any kind of a deal because each bloc wants to put economic costs on other guys, not on them," Ebell said.

The United States is the key player in international climate negotiations because it is the largest economy. But China recently surpassed the United States as the largest emitter of carbon.

European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said Monday the climate talks are "dangerously close to deadlock," and that the whole effort is at risk of "an acrimonious collapse."

Some are clearly hoping Obama's speech can give the talks a little momentum. Critics say the process is destined to collapse under its own weight.

FOX News' Jim Angle contributed to this report.