Climate deal in Bali?

More often than not, politics can be annoying… So, a bunch of people finished a big meeting in Bali about climate change and how to deal with it. How did they do?

“This is a real breakthrough, a real opportunity for the international community to successfully fight climate change,” said Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar, who served as conference president, at the conclusion of the talks.

Gee, that sounds swell. I have a feeling that Witoelar was prepared to say that even if a big turd had dropped from the sky and landed just outside of the conference hall. The way this breakthrough was achieved was:

The EU and US agreed to drop binding targets; then the EU and China agreed to soften language on commitments from developing countries.

Err, so they reached a deal without binding targets and with soft language about commitments. What kind of deal is that? Certainly not a breakthrough. The real statement to go with a meeting like this is:

“We have effectively managed to hold off any real decision making for two more years.”