A hard choice? Not at all

The blame game that some people in rich countries have been playing against developing countries does not bode well for the UN Climate Change Conference that begins in Copenhagen on Monday.

If the world is to have a truly global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate global warming, every country has to play a definitive role. Fishing in troubled waters at a time when a defining deal could be reached is going to lead us nowhere.

A recent Reuters report quoted some unidentified Western countries' diplomats as having said that China and other big developing nations had rejected so-called "core targets", necessary to reach a climate deal. By suggesting that the developing countries' opposition has made it difficult to reach a new climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol these people are trying to ensure that their countries continue to shirk their responsibilities and shift the blame on others.