Two months ago the Paris Climate summit representing 98% of the worlds carbon emissions met with the goal of cutting emissions.   The US at the meeting made a goal of cutting emissions 26% by 2025. The supreme court ruling last week put the United States in an awkward position of not keeping their promises to the rest of the world.  Another issue is even if the Supreme Court did not make this ruling analysis has shown emissions following this plan would at best case cut emissions by 23% and worst case 10%.  Obama tried to use the Clean Air Act to implement the plan thinking congress would not pass anything.  This however set up court battles instead.

With Justice Scalia death last week, Obama is presented with the opportunity to nominate someone who will strive for carbon regulation.  In fact, the new court could even allow more aggressive policies by the Obama administration. For example the Clean Air act has a provision that would allow the EPA to make states cut emissions that are dangerous to other countries if those countries do the same.  A week ago this would have been extremely difficult to achieve through the Supreme Court, now it may be possible goal to achieve.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/10/us/what-supreme-court-decision-to-halt-climate-regulation-means.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/17/business/economy/next-supreme-court-justice-will-be-crucial-to-climate-change.html?ref=topics&_r=0