How do you say "dull thud" in Danish?

From the Mother Nature Network


YOU WIN THIS ROUND, CO2: How do you say "dull thud" in Danish? The Copenhagen climate summit ended Saturday. Instead of the legally binding agreement committing nations to take action against global warming many had hoped for, the summit instead produced a vague general accord essentially re-stating the reason they had the summit in the first place. Global warming? Yup, it's a serious problem. Carbon emissions? Yeah, we really should curb those. Even the conference's supposed biggest achievement -- the pledge by the U.S. to raise $100 billion in annual aid annually to help poor nations cope with climate change -- seems like less-than-a-sure thing. Fulfilling the pledge would require Congress to pass a cap-and-trade emissions reduction mechanism, then pledge to send a substantial amount of the tax revenue abroad as foreign aid. With unemployment high in this country and an election coming up, sending billions overseas may not be so popular.

So was there any good news from Copenhagen? Sort of. The embarrassment about the lack of progress should focus minds before meetings scheduled climate negotiations in Germany and Mexico next year. Just as importantly, China and India are hinting now more than ever that they're willing to sign a legally binding, verifiable agreement to curb their greenhouse emissions. The U.S. Senate is far more likely to pass legislation curbing U.S. emissions if China and India are willing to do the same. For complete coverage of the U.N. summit, check out MNN's comprehensive Copenhagen climate talks home page. (Sources: Guardian, New York Times, Los Angeles Times)