The United States’ arrogance entering the Paris climate summit is embarrassing.

“I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter, to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it,” said President Obama at the summit on Tuesday.

However, the President has also stated that the U.S. will not sign any climate change treaty while at the summit. Any change in U.S. law would undoubtedly fail to pass through a Republican-controlled congress, therefore the Obama cannot risk putting the brakes on an international shift in mindset towards improving the climate.

Yet we still demand that the rest of the world fall in line and sign a treaty into law reducing global emissions. Meanwhile, locally, we can stubbornly squabble over whether the climate is in fact changing.

For Christ’s sake, even the Catholic Church has admitted how dire the situation is. Monday, Pope Francis reiterated his sediment towards the global crisis saying it is “now or never,” and “that we are at the limits of suicide.”

So let us continue to act like we are better than the rest of the world because we are ’Mercans. And let us continue to allow half our population deny what is, by definition, scientific fact. And for a cherry on top, let us continue to elect a national governing body that will refuse to do what is in the best interest of its citizens.

The president is unquestionably in yet another bind due to the internal bitterness from his opposition. But these differences should not come at the expense of the global population. He must advocate for improved global conditions and he can even use the examples from less ignorant states within the U.S., as steps that need to be taken in reducing emissions.

As one of the most educated countries in the world, and proudest, it is time to stop being irresponsible and support the man we elected to lead. If we are going to tell the rest of the world how to live, then we must achieve those standards ourselves. All of us.

I am not the biggest supporter of Barack, but he is right in this case. Unfortunately, to preach to world leaders about change when you yourself are struggling to enact it within your own country is wrong and frustratingly conceited—albeit the American way.