Ironic Europe! After spearheading the fight against climate change for years, the EU now seems to encounter more difficulty reaching consensus on the environment than on the financial crisis.

Silvio Berlusconi and Donald Tusk, the Italian and Polish prime ministers, have led the rebellion at the latest Brussels summit. They claimed they did not have to follow EU restrictions, as they were not in power at the time the agreement was reached, an unprecedented denial of the supranational nature of so many of Europe's commitments.

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During recent climate talks in Poznan, Poland, several players made public statements that lowered the bar on what could be achieved during the coming year. The United Nations' top climate chief, Yvo de Boer, said he doubted a new treaty could be achieved by next year's deadline to replace the Kyoto Protocol after it expires in 2012. He emphasized aiming for a "robust political agreement" instead.

That may sound discouraging to some, but it could also be an opportunity for the Obama administration to reorient the transatlantic dialogue on climate change toward the energy technology revolution we will ultimately need to deal with this challenge in a meaningful way.

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