By the end of this week we will know whether the Paris summit has produced a new global climate change accord. The risk that the talks will end in failure is ever present. Six years ago, world leaders arrived in Copenhagen similarly determined to work out a way to collectively curb carbon emissions, but that conference fell far short of expectations. Copenhagen may have been a necessary failure, but it was a failure nonetheless. In its wake, momentum toward a comprehensive international deal slowed.
It has taken six years to renew confidence in the prospect of a robust agreement. Hopes are high; not least because, for the first time since 1992, the positions of US, China and the EU are aligned. The spirit of optimism surrounding the conference was evident on Monday when world leaders delivered a bevy of positive speeches. Yet, anxieties remain. Multilateralism in this area has failed before and there is no guarantee it will not do so again.
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