Cross-posted from Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog
In my latest Bridges column I read the climate tea leaves to give my best guess as to what we should expect. Here is an excerpt:
Even with all the policy complexity and political noise, it has not been difficult for anyone paying attention to realize that climate policies are in deep trouble. So what has been the primary response of governments? The tried-and-true strategy is to identify an enemy and focus attention on anything but the failing climate policies. In this case, the enemies identified by the rich, Western countries are India and China, with their huge populations, rapid economic growth, and increasing carbon footprints to match. Repeating a refrain heard in 1997 during negotiations that resulted in the largely ineffectual Kyoto Protocol, we again hear that without action from India and China, the climate policies of the developed countries will all be for naught.
Please have a look, comments welcomed.
The conference in Copenhagen is likely to be a very important one historically. This might well be our last chance to turn things around.
http://watching-history.blogspot.com/2009/10/copenhagen.html
Posted by: Canada Guy at October 19, 2009 3:09 PM