While one hundred days counted down before Copenhagen we were talking and ready to do something about averting climate change - if only we could work out what to do. But we couldn't. Huge organisations, reporting on the developments of the negotiations, encouraging us to sign online petitions and lobby in other convenient and simple ways.
Last week the negotiations failed, there was no agreement signed by all the different politicians representing hundreds of nations spanning the Earth. We could do nothing about this, and now it is a week before Christmas and the pressure is on to think about something else. By the New Year it may be old news and the public eyes be distracted by something else. The timing of one who schedules the meeting of population leaders!
Two weeks ago, amongst those paying close attention to the possibilities of what might happen at the UN Climate Summit - I wonder, was a subtle euphoria brought on? Subtle signs seemed to suggest something wholly positive on the scale of advanced global civilization could be in line. Did we, the attentive, the environmentally concerned and considerate, relax for a moment? Did we become confused and lethargic? Could we have done much at all?
The likes of these people have gathered previously at other UN Summits, we have heard of the G7, G8 and G20 meetings. Even so, we do not know much of what we can expect of the United Nations.
Today, now, we can note something to remember, the significance of Copenhagen was that Global Leaders could have been legally and financially bound to avoid a global rise in temperature of more than two degrees centigrade. They could have been required to make the restructuring of their states, into environmentally friendly ones, amongst their very top priorities. They could have been made to be responsible for looking after all human populations everywhere. But was that ever really going to happen. Who are these people really.
The conference was important, not so that we would ourselves as individuals come to agreement that we must reduce our pollutant emissions. It was not about you and I agreeing to reduce the environmental damage we do. It was not. It was for 'Global Leaders', actual 'National Leaders' to sign up to an agreement but no matter how much human populations wished they would, they did not.