Interesting op-ed piece in the Guardian today arguing that China bears ultimate responsibility for failure of the Copenhagen talks.

"Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations. The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful "deal" so western leaders would walk away carrying the blame. How do I know this? Because I was in the room and saw it happen."

Writer Mark Lynas goes on to lament what China's geopolitical ascent, as represented by its muscle-flexing at the COP15 summit, means for multilateral environmental governance.

"...China's growth, and growing global political and economic dominance, is based largely on cheap coal...Its coal-based economy doubles every decade, and its power increases commensurately. Its leadership will not alter this magic formula unless they absolutely have to."

(via Guardian)

Photo by Axel Schmidt (AFP/Getty Images)

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