Just a short one to muse about the Bali summit that is being tipped to be close to a deal of kinds involving all the key parties involved.

I think it's absolutely fantastic that we are close to an international consensus on the targets we should be aiming to achieve. That's right, the compromise deal is one reportedly where everyone absolutely understands and agrees to take into account a report that says reduction in emissions of 25-40% would be required to keep global warming within a 2 degree range by 2050. So what if it doesn't specifically mandate some targets on people?

Lets look at Kyoto. For whatever reasons the people barking loudest about emissions have missed the mark by a significant margin. We laid out targets, and yes the US undermined the whole process by not being involved, but it was the EU's chance to pick up their bootstraps, take the bull by the horns and truly make a mockery of the American President's stance.

The Bush administration is well out of step with the American population, and increasingly out of step with US business

Targets are very very lovely in principle but in reality they are things to simply fail. I know..I know...if we fail to meet the 25-40% target internationally then it's a huge potential for failure in the worst possible way, but we have to develop things. Getting the US on board with an ethos is better than having them working against you. Now the world has the opportunity to try and enthuse the next US President, to involve them, to even make them feel like the big dogs pushing the charge if that's what motivates them. We couldn't do that if we doggedly stuck to the extreme ideal and didn't try to work out the next step in what is ultimately a long, long process.