This week delegates from 180 countries have skirmished over a draft agreement with some 2,500 paragraphs, sentences, phrases and words in dispute. They struggled to whittle down 200 pages of incomprehensible text into a workable document — but left Bonn after five days' diplomacy with much work still to do. (1)The move by the USA, to legislate for trade sanctions against nations that don't accept limits, seems sensible - though it is bizarre that we can happily do business with a regime like the communists in Beijing inspite of their human rights record, but then restrict trade because of carbon emissions.
India and China's position, that they should still be allowed to develop, is hypocritical, because they have both already profited massively from western investment - they have have enjoyed the fruits of our carbon driven growth. New growth will have to be achieved in line with emissions limits in place. It's the only way.
1- "Time running short for new climate-change deal," by Arethur Max, published by the Associated Press. Hosted by gogole, 15th of August, 2009. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jpokgFJzTVqBUWoSV4Qm3bXiDWlAD9A2PNO80)
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