New Scientist: For eight years the US has been seen as a global outlier on climate issues. Now, with just 12 months to go until the world decides on a new Kyoto protocol, it is catch-up time for president-elect Barack Obama. What can he reasonably achieve in that time? One of his first steps at home is likely be the adoption of cap-and-trade legislation. This would set the foundation for carbon trading: as in the European Union, the amount of greenhouse gases that industries can lawfully emit would …