CLIMATE CHANGE: Dream of a Camel, Get a Goat, and Be Happy With It - IPS ipsnews.net

Nkoana-Mashabane explained that the dictum of the camel and the goat is a Somali saying aimed at differentiating ideal aspirations and realistic possibilities. As in a Somali bazaar, in the negotiations towards an international binding agreement to forestall climate change, you have to aim to get a camel, but be aware that at best you will get just a goat, Nkoana-Mashabane said.

The ‘goat’ in this case would be an international agreement valid from 2013, but not ratified by the U.S. and China, and maybe other industrialised countries, like Japan and Canada. The hope would be that in time these countries would sign the agreement.

Furthermore, as soon as you get the goat, why not shoot it, then demand a cash payment because its farts were causing cyclones?