U.S.-China Climate Talks Creep Forward, But Justice in Question

With the US and China responsible for 40 percent of global carbon emissions, the future likely turns on bilateral diplomatic progress towards the December 2015 global summit. With tensions increasing between the two powers over the South China Sea and cyber-espionage, it was at least hopeful sign that negotiations towards a climate agreement were not being sacrificed to a new Cold War. The presence of John Podesta, President Barack Obama's top climate change specialist, on last week's US diplomatic delegation to the strategic dialogue with Beijing, was a guarantee of the Obama administration's growing seriousness. But differences over equity between rich and poor nations may be more insurmountable than technical and scientific ones.