Winston Churchill's description of disarmament negotiations--"a solemn and prolonged farce"--applies equally well to the U.N.'s endless climate-change talks.(The Week)(United Nations)(Brief article)

Winston Churchill's description of disarmament negotiations--"a solemn and prolonged farce"--applies equally well to the U.N.'s endless climate-change talks. Despite the prevailing view that doom awaits unless we take drastic action now, the recent Bali conference merely kicked the can down the road. Yet this episode of indecision could work to America's and the world's benefit. After much drama, the U.S. agreed to help draw up measurable, verifiable steps toward reducing greenhouse-gas emissions--but, crucially, the greens' demand of a draconian 25-40 percent reduction by 2020 was omitted. While it might have been even better for the U.S. simply to walk out of Bali, a "stubborn" U.S. position today would let a future Democratic president score points by ostentatiously repudiating the Bush ...