Copenhagen is wrapping up, and world leaders are trumpeting the fact that they have reached a "meaningful agreement" on climate change. But as the Guardian points out, its a lot less meaningful than it sounds:
The climate change summit had three big tickets on its agenda: emissions, financial assistance and the process going ahead. And on each of these counts the accord – which was effectively hammered out not by the whole conference, but rather by the US, India, China and South Africa – fell woefully short. There was no serious cementing of the positive noises on aid that had emerged earlier on in the week. On emissions, a clear-eyed vision for the distant future was rendered a pipe dream by outright fuzziness about the near term. And most alarmingly of all, there was no clear procedural roadmap to deliver the world from the impasse that this summit has landed it in.I'm with Jeanette - this is worse than failure, in that it gives the illusion that something is being done, while in fact allowing things to continue exactly as they are, and it is a disgrace that New Zealand is backing it. Instead, we should be working with the EU to get a real climate deal, with legally binding emissions targets and a proper mitigation funding mechanism. Anything less is simply spin and bullshit.
Our leaders have failed us today. All of them. And they should suffer the electoral consequences. Eicite eos! Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius!
