"This election was supposed to be about wealthy Big Oil-backed special interests spending unprecedented resources to wipe pro-environment candidates off the map," said Gene Karpinski, the League of Conservation Voters' president, in a statement. "But voters chose a different course—re-electing President Obama and sending environmental champions to Congress to confront the climate crisis and keep our nation moving forward towards a clean energy future."

Correction: An earlier version of this article said the UN interenational climate talks in Doha, Qatar were being held next year. The talks will take place Nov. 26-Dec. 7, 2012.