AS DAWN heralded Saturday morning in Montreal, the latest international climate conference closed in a mood of euphoria. There were tears in the corridors. The UK’s environment secretary Margaret Beckett proclaimed a “diplomatic triumph” in which she had achieved all that she had hoped for. Even normally hard-boiled environmental campaigners and journalists were misty-eyed. “Historic,” said Greenpeace. “A big step forward…the US has been shamed,” said The Guardian in London (see “Small green victory”).
Get a grip. Last-minute deals are always exciting, especially after overnight negotiations. But in the cold light of day we have to ask what exactly…
