The simple-minded politics of international action on climate

India’s contribution - indeed, the contribution of all the developing countries - to greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere is very little, compared to that of the industrialised countries. This will be the case for several decades to come. Tragically, however, developing countries will bear a disproportionate burden of the adverse impacts of climate change.

Makes you feel like a heel doesn’t it - asking them to do their bit? But together China and India account for most of the world’s growth in greenhouse gas emissions. If we don’t ask them we may as well not bother.

Imagine we were rationing water in a drought. The poor might seek compensation and some of us would be happy to pay it. But who’d want to exempt them from water restrictions?

Indeed, the bribing of Russia with “hot air” provides a model by which we can get the developed countries to buy in. In addition to the threat of sanctions, developed countries should “bribe” major developing countries’ into the system with “hot air” the developed countries then buy back. But it will be years till anyone takes such an option seriously.
India remains intransigent. Meanwhile back in the “lets be grateful for small mercies” department, China’s preparedness to back Son-of-Kyoto (though not to take on binding commitments itself!) has helped isolate America and shame it into further talks.

As we prepare for another summer in the hottest decade on record (perhaps the hottest for a millenium), I wonder how many years have to pass before we get all the nonsense out of our head, and act as if protecting our miraculous planet were more important than grandstanding from the Europeans, obfuscating from the Coalition of the Unwilling and finger-pointing from the developing countries.