Is there any real chance of averting the climate crisis?

Nasa's James Hansen was the first to point out the perils of climate change to the US Congress. Here, he begins a heated debate with experts from around the world, from China to the threatened Maldives, and argues that our leaders must be shaken out of their complacency. But will they show enough courage at next week's Copenhagen summit to take the first steps to saving the planet?

Is there any real chance of averting the climate crisis? | Comment is free | The Observer

Crunch Time for Planet Earth

By Amitabh Pal

It’s crunch time for Planet Earth.

The climate change negotiations in the run-up to the Copenhagen summit seem to be deadlocked.

“America indicated yesterday that a legally binding agreement was probably impossible, and acceptance is growing among both rich and poor countries that no binding deal will be reached in Copenhagen next month, and that talks could drag well into 2010 or beyond,” The Guardian reports.

Crunch Time for Planet Earth | The Progressive

'shock therapy' for world leaders on environment

The United Nations is planning a form of diplomatic shock therapy for world leaders this week in the hope of injecting badly needed urgency into negotiations for a climate change treaty that, it is now widely acknowledged, are dangerously adrift.

As the digital counter ticking off the hours to the Copenhagen summit – which had been supposed to seal the deal on climate change – hit 77 days today, progress at the UN summit in New York is seen as vital. Nearly 100 heads of state and government are to attend the summit, for which a pared-down format has been devised.

Climate change: UN plans 'shock therapy' for world leaders on environment | Environment | The Observer