China, U.S. praise nonbinding climate agreement

[TomCADem]

Source: Washington Post

BEIJING -- China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, on Sunday lauded the outcome of the U.N. climate conference, which produced a nonbinding agreement that urges major polluters to make deeper emissions cuts -- but does not require it.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the climate talks that brought together more than 110 world leaders in Copenhagen delivered "significant and positive" results.

The Obama administration on Sunday also defended the agreement as a "great step forward" -- despite widespread disappointment among environmentalists, who lament that the pact does not include mandatory targets that would draw sanctions.

"Nobody says that this is the end of the road. The end of the road would have been the complete collapse of those talks. This is a great step forward," White House senior adviser David Axelrod told CNN's "State of the Union."


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/20/AR2009122002382.html

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Didn't know that China overtook the U.S. as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. I know a lot of folks have argued that China should not lift a finger because it emits less greenhouse gases per capita than the U.S., but if everyone waited until they caught up with the U.S., then nothing would occur. So, at least we are not denying the existence of climate change anymore.

[caraher]

1. May future generations forgive us

And so what Joe Romm dubbed "the US-China suicide pact" on climate continues...

[hatrack]

2. Well, they would, wouldn't they?

Anything's better than admitting the galactic uselessness of this particular piece of paper.

[mbperrin]

3. Keeping their powder dry, eh? Don't DO anything, just say how nice

it would be if we did.

Sounds familiar.....

[WriteDown]

4. China went so far as to avoid Obama while he was in Copenhagen....

They had no intention of ever negotiating.

[The2ndWheel]

5. How would they have required it anyway?

What would have required it? What power does the UN have? The US won't be sanctioned by the UN, no matter what the US does. China, as the giant that it is, doesn't have to answer to anybody. Even if the agreement were binding, who or what is going to enforce it?