One of Mr Obama's first acts as President will be to re-engage with the rest of the world on dealing with climate change.

He is already signalling that the USA will match the ambitious targets already being set by Britain of an 80 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2050.

Achieving these targets will require not just an overturning of the policies that have been in place over the last eight years, but a complete change in mindset on the part of American politicians.

Instead of policies that are designed to protect the interests of oil companies, green technology research will be funded.

Renewable energy, "green" cars and home energy conservation will all be given much greater priority to try to tackle all areas of carbon emission reductions.

Controversial plans to open up large tracts of oil reserves in Utah and Alaska that conflict with protected environments are also likely to be put on hold.

Away from the global environmental issues such as climate change, Mr Obama is likely to deal with some less-heralded issues that probably won't be greatly reported outside the US.

These include mercury pollution, a significant problem in the Great Lake, a part of the US that he has represented as a senator.

New policies on organic food, forestry, agriculture, national parks, wildlife protection and transport may also be forthcoming.

With the Democrats holding power in the Senate and Congress, it should be an easier proposition for the President to deal with many of these issues, but belt tightening and other more pressing economic priorities during the current slowdown could scupper the chances of many of these initiatives before they have even started.