The final results of the Copenhagen summit re-affirmed that great western policy response - in the absence of a solution, throw money at a problem.
The agreement to funnel US$100bn at poorer nations at risk from the effects of climate change is a cowardly act. Much of it will disappear into the pockets of corrupt officials, politicians and army generals.
It does nothing to limit greenhouse emissions at source.
At a wider level, the limpest possible accord was struck - to keep global temperature rises below two degrees Celsius (see the Copenhagen Convention website). Australia, along with other developed nations, is only required to notify its 2020 emissions targets. This must be done by the end of January.
The Copenhagen Accord allows the worst polluters - China, Brazil, Indonesia and India - to set self-imposed and self-regulated targets. In the case of China, the recalcitrance of its leaders to agree on even basic measures is astonishing, given that the country is slowly polluting itself to death. Even now, recent reports suggest that air pollution is affecting rainfall patterns and crop yields, not to mention the health of its citizens who live in heavily polluted industrial cities. The failure to address this for the sake of its own people will surely become a major internal crisis for the Chinese government in coming years.
As Christians, we should be disappointed at the Copenhagen outcome, disappointed that national greed and self-interest trumped the greater good (and not just by the West). Perhaps it was unrealistic to expect such a large group to reach a single agreement in the first place. This result is a poor result, particularly if you are a Pacific nation sinking into the sea, or a delta-dwelling Bangladeshi family. For them, $100bn is a number far, far away.