In a very clever publicity stunt, ministers from the Maldives held a cabinet meeting yesterday at a table bolted to the floor of the Indian Ocean. The agenda?…signing a document calling on all nations to reduce carbon emissions.
Perhaps they’re being heard. Preperatory discussions for Copenhagen at the Major Economies Forum in London seem to be going well. The BBC reports that Miliband thinks a treaty is more “do-able.” Xinhua reports that major economies are “narrowing their differences.” And, cracks might be forming in India’s inpenetrable armor. Does any of this mean anything real at the moment? No. But, like the economy, this is largely a perceptions game at this point, and it’s good to hear news reports that the momentum might be shifting.
At the same time, it’s hard to ignore this NY Times article about the growing number of fence sitters in the U.S. Senate, unwilling to commit to a climate bill.