President Obama “is under no illusion that U.S. climate policies alone can rein in global warming. In newly published comment in
The New Yorker
, Obama says they’re crucial to working with China and India, the world’s largest and third-largest greenhouse-gas emitters (the U.S. is No. 2),”

, Obama says they’re crucial to working with China and India, the world’s largest and third-largest greenhouse-gas emitters (the U.S. is No. 2),” National Journal reports.

Said Obama: “This is why I’m putting a big priority on our carbon action plan here. It’s not because I’m ignorant of the fact that these emerging countries are going to be a bigger problem than us. It’s because it’s very hard for me to get in that conversation if we’re making no effort. And it’s not an answer for us to say, well, since the Chinese and the Indians are the bigger problem, we might as well not even bother.”

“The comments come as Republicans say the White House policies—notably planned carbon-emissions standards for power plants—will scarcely make a dent worldwide when greenhouse emissions in China, India, and other developing nations are soaring.”