Just weeks after Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping breathed unexpected life back into the Paris climate change talks, unveiling a bilateral pact on reducing emissions, another slightly fainter puff has come from the direction of Lima.
True, given the mutual backslapping among the 194 countries that gathered in Peru to pave the way for next year’s landmark French summit, one might be forgiven for thinking they had just achieved a huge breakthrough. That would, of course, be too much to hope for. But they have at least concocted something of value in light of the low expectations that have dogged international climate discussions ever since the debacle at Copenhagen in 2009: they have agreed not to disagree.
The communique inked in Lima may be more of a road map than a call to action. It puts off plenty of hard decisions and dodges some altogether. But the deal drives forward the preparations for the Paris summit, which will be the biggest opportunity the world has had for some years to reach a comprehensive deal on climate change.