China comes up trumps at UN Climate Summit

The UN summit on climate change is taking place today and the issue of how to tackle the global environmental threat has rarely been so high on the political agenda. The spotlight is focused squarely on the United States, whose failure to sign up to the Kyoto agreement stalled an earlier attempt at a treaty and cost the world vital time in reversing the effects of industrialisation. American leadership is more critical now than ever but Barack Obama’s plate is already full with domestic affairs and his hands are effectively tied. Unless the US can commit to quantifiable targets then the hope for a worthwhile agreement in Copenhagen in December is futile. We watch and wait in earnest.

Update
China forced America’s hand by announcing that they will cut their greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels by 2020. At last, something of note to write home about! Now let’s see if the Americans will keep up with the Jintaos, I mean, Joneses, come December.