Deeper level of interest in climate fix

Climate change is on the minds of world leaders at two high-level summits this week. The first meeting, at the United Nations, delivered the expected: a surfeit of urgent talk and a paucity of promises to act. Early readings on the second, to be held at the White House today and tomorrow, were that it would continue that theme.

In comments to the UN climate summit Monday, Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon couldn't have been more clear about what he felt was at stake. "The time for doubt has passed," he said, urging quick measures to prevent disaster. He continued:

"I am convinced that climate change, and what we do about it, will define us, our era, and ultimately the global legacy we leave for future generations.... We hold the future in our hands. Together, we must ensure that our grandchildren will not have to ask why we failed to do the right thing."

In a speech, global warming activist Al Gore urged the assembled presidents and prime ministers (President Bush did not attend) that they should personally take part in a meeting to be held in Bali, Indonesia, this December that aims to set new mandatory goals for nations to cut greenhouse gases. He added, as Reuters reported:

"I would like to propose ... that the heads of state around the world call an emergency session of this gathering for the beginning of next year to review the results of Bali.... [They should] continue to meet at the head-of-state level every three months until a treaty is successfully arrived at. We cannot continue business as usual."

Though the meeting appeared to be all talk and no action, a subtle but important shift may be occurring among developing countries, who are showing a new level of serious interest in the subject. Richard Kinley, deputy executive director of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in a lead story in this newspaper Monday:

"Among a number of developing countries, we're seeing a growing realization that they have to take a new approach for their own well-being. And the leading example of that is China.... What we hear more now is talk of incentives, of the right investment and technology flows into the developing countries, and that is bringing the two sides closer together.... That's crucial, because it's clearly only through international cooperation that this challenge can be addressed."

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