Climate

What next?

After a day of frustration and farce, United States President Barack Obama has announced an agreement between the US, China, Brazil, India and South Africa. Details are vague at this point, though a chinadialogue source close to the US negotiating team suggested that the agreement would be more ‘robust’ than expected. Meanwhile the UNFCCC trundles on in its own special way.

chinadialogue editor Isabel Hilton noted that the agreement is not dissimilar to the quite useless Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. Beyond that it also leaves the majority of the developing world out in the cold – adaptation, the core issue for most nations, is essentially ignored.

Bill Mckibben, noted environmental author and head of the 350 campaign, wondered whether this was the end of the United Nations process. A disatisfying end to a bad week. Bring on the Gammel Dansk.