China's Role at Copenhagen

Xinhua Ram has posted two links regarding China's role in undermining prospects of a stronger accord at the recently concluded Copenhagen climate summit (here is the Guardian report and here is the one from FT). Today's Guardian has a provocative insider account of the negotiations that went on and how China systematically eliminated any meaningful outcome acting both on its own and through its proxies (do not expect this report to find any space in tomorrow's Hindu edition). This story is in sharp contrast to the recent Hindu editorial ('Far from inspiring') which largely laid the blame at the door of the developed world. Economists too have commented -similar to the Hindu editorial - that the $100 billion is not large enough to spur agreement but it appears, as Mark Lynas points out, that the US was willing to up the amount had China so insisted. One thing seems clear: an international agreement to move forward is not feasible in the near future which means change will have to come through domestic initiatives and/or technological progress.