UN climate change conference achieves small gains

Los Angeles Times : At the conclusion of the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference on Saturday, delegates from 190 countries ended two weeks of diplomatic brinksmanship in a stalemate. Rich and poor countries failed to agree on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but they pledged to move forward on a set of broad technical measures, writes Margot Roosevelt for the Los Angeles Times. The new pacts envision eventual rules for measuring planet-heating pollution. They would also fund efforts in the most vulnerable countries to combat the effects of rising sea levels, longer droughts, and stronger hurricanes. Although US President Obama called Mexico President Felipe Calderón to congratulate him on “Mexico’s excellent work chairing the Cancún conference to a successful conclusion,” reaction from environmental groups was mixed. “The texts fall radically short on the crucial question—curbing climate pollution,” said Nick Berning, US spokesman for Friends of the Earth.