Copenhagen still ignores the reality of geo-political relations

While some people would have you believe that Copenhagen has changed the way global politics is conducted the reality of international relations remains the same

The problem for the summit and this problem itself is not the science or the conviction behind it, but the diplomatic reality of trying to get 200 countries to agree on the same objective, let alone the same methodology.

Smaller bilateral treaties amongst the bigger emitters will work much more. That it doesn't pander to the global sense of guilt at our planetary abuse for the past 200 years makes it unpalatable to much of the left. But the international system is one based on national sovereignty, and as long as countries continue to act in their own interests, they will not be able to act in the global interest.

The nature of the human lifespan makes many of these predictions impossible to conceptualise for a great swathe of populations in developed countries. Whilst the goals of the conference are entirely laudable, they remain impossible in their current guise, so long as the UN holds on to this false idea of international co-operation.