Sinking Copenhagen

Good news from Terence Corcoran:

... In the great public policy battle between global economic growth and global climate change, the G20 is going for growth. And if growth trumps climate at the G20, that spells the end of any hope of a major climate agreement in Copenhagen in December.

... Copenhagen was essentially sidelined yesterday at another event, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s Climate Change Summit in New York.

... At the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, the most Mr. Obama committed to was “to work with my colleagues ... to phase out fossil fuel subsidies.” Good idea.

... Obama may have sealed his fate in Europe and other places as The Big O — as in zero.

... leaders at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh will pay little more than lip service to climate policy and will instead focus on the immediate business of being seen to be doing something about the immediate problem of economic growth.