Walter Russell Mead: "the UN climate process jumped the shark years ago"

Another Climate Confab Going Down in Flames? | Via Meadia

The pattern of climate talks is pretty clear. An alliance of bureaucrats wanting the conference and position paper gravy train to keep rolling with greens who think a futile process is better than nothing keep the charade alive. Many rich country politicians are fine with that; a “process” that allows them to appease greens without having to impose unpopular measures is not a bad thing.

But the process has never recovered from the check at Copenhagen when the biggest collection of world leaders to meet on an issue like this achieved nothing at all. Progress can, will and must come on reducing the damage that human industrial activity has on the environment. But the UN climate process jumped the shark years ago.