Democrats in Congress say it's still a top goal for next year, but the ongoing economic crisis is making attempts to tackle global warming more difficult.

At the very least, fear of a prolonged economic downturn is expected to delay attempts to cap greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. A few months ago the odds were very promising, with both presidential candidates vowing to act quickly after taking office.

The most popular remedy for slowing global warming is a mechanism known as cap-and-trade. But that could put further stress on a teetering economy by raising energy prices.

Some Republicans say that's reason enough to just scrap the idea for now.