US industry could soon be losing out to China (Image: Greg Pease/Taxi/Getty)

AMERICA’s giant steel-makers could be about to torpedo an international agreement on climate change.

Following lobbying by heavy industries, the US Congress is considering imposing tariffs on imports from China and other developing nations. That could be a deal-breaker for poor nations at December’s climate change talks in Copenhagen.

If Congress passes laws imposing a limit on US greenhouse gas emissions, energy-intensive sectors such as steel-making and cement manufacture would almost certainly face increased costs. Competitors in China and other developing nations not subject to similar restrictions – …