Ronald Bailey on Kicking the Can on Climate Change

The new climate change agreement arduously reached in December at the 17th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was widely hailed as a "historic breakthrough." The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action commits all countries for the first time to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions, chiefly carbon dioxide. To achieve this goal the signatories have agreed to negotiate "a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force" by 2015. Whatever deal is reached then will have five years to be ratified so that it can come into force by 2020. On its face, this appears to be a significant step in climate change diplomacy. In reality, observes Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey, it's not.