Consequently, in Copenhagen, China was viewed by many political commentators as being openly uncooperative and, despite being a renowned supporter of green issues and regularly talking to the threats of global warming, President Obama arrived with his hands tied by a reluctant Congress, with healthcare issues in the US being his primary focus and distraction. Economic and political rivalry meant that even as two of the world's biggest carbon emitters, neither wanted to regulate their emissions, through fear that the other may take advantage to dominate the world's economy. Historically the US and China were in a regulatory stalemate over climate change. Nevertheless, perhaps the most significant stumbling block was that the US and China were reluctant to sit at the negotiation table. Whilst the summit did recognise a need to limit global temperatures to rising no more than 2☌ above pre-industrial levels, the proposed deal was not to be legally binding, causing many to question whether it could really have any significant impact. In Copenhagen, delegates were not willing to agree a deal that had been drafted 'from the top down', by only a small number of countries without input or contributions from others. In 2009, the previous attempt by world leaders to tackle global warming and secure a global treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions famously came to nothing.
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