A deal to keep world leaders talking about eventually doing something, maybe

A legally-binding agreement on climate change won't be concluded until the next U.N. summit meeting in Mexico City in 2010, White House aides announced on Sunday. An agreement with teeth has to be approved by the conclusion of 2012 when the Kyoto Protocol concludes. And with the news that a legally binding agreement would be impossible to reach at the upcoming Cophenhagen summit, President Barack Obama is now hanging out in China with President Hu Jintao, hammering out the details for a "broad interim accord" (non-binding lip service) which he believes will result in direct action and unite the globe to a climate change solution. Mr. Cynical and Mrs. Sarcasm were unavailable for comment.

Obama and Jintao did discuss a shared aspiration to address the climate crisis, however as usual, they were unable to address what either country can do to combat greenhouse gases and how the international community will muster hte billions required to address drastic climage change and increasing temperatures. This is the sticking point which is hindering a solid, legally-binding agreement. They did manage to release a joint statement, and that an agreement would "include emission reduction targets of developed countries and nationally appropriate mitigation actions of developing countries." Right.

Hu believes that developing countries such as China, Brazil and India should merely establish "goals" for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as opposed to absolute targets for decreasing emissions, just like industrialized nations are doing. Doesn't anyone have the political will to stand up and demand that absolute targets necessary?

The purpose of the meeting between Obama and Hu was allay fears after world leaders announced that a legally binding agreement would not be reached at the upcoming Copenhagen summit, and such an agreement would be pursued in 2010.

So Obama is trying to forge hope that a considerable agreement will be concluded which will keep discussions going. But Obama did say that he wants summit discussions to result in more than "an agreement to have an agreement".

Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen has asked for hard numbers and statistics to be "on the table in Copenhagen" and any agreement should be "concrete and binding on countries committing to reach targets, to undertake actions, and to provide agreed finance." Now we're talking. For Obama, the summit's goal "is not a partial accord or a political declaration, but rather an accord that covers all of the issues in the negotiations, and one that has immediate operational effect."

Okay, so roll up your sleaves Mr. President and get cracking and lobby for every nation to accept absolute targets. He continued by saying that such an agreement "would be an important step forward in the effort to rally the world around a solution to our climate challenge."

Obama didn't expand on his remarks, however the U.N. and the European Union have proposed an annual subsidy of at least ten billion in the next three years to assist poor nations devise preparations to shift to low-carbon economies, to dwindle deforestation and accept emergency measures against climate change effects. Estimates from the United Nations found that an annual amount of $150 billion will be required by 2020 (que American right-wing heads exploding). A new agreement is intent to follow the Kyoto Protocol, that compelled emissions to be reduced by an average of five percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The 1997 protocol set no standards for developing nations, such as China. A new (and desired) agreement would compel developing nations to cut emissions, however plans to guarantee this in an agreement were not specified and what would result if any nation did not live up to their obligation.

The United States and China combined produce forty percent of all greenhouse gases, and a new study found that China was pracitally entirely responsible for the growth of emissions during the economic recession. The study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Geoscience, also found that global carbon emissions rose two percent last year.

Unless Obama has a plan up his sleave and can achieve a legally-binding agreement in Copenhagen, we'll have to wait for the Mexico City summit next year.