Last month China said it would reject any international effort to limit its greenhouse gas emissions. The announcement came on the heels of a report that China has become the world's emissions leader, overtaking America.

China's recalcitrance is not unique. With strong bipartisan support, US president George W. Bush rejected the Kyoto Protocol on the grounds that it would cost too much and deliver too little. Although European nations proclaim their enthusiasm for Kyoto, several key signatories seem unlikely to comply with it by 2012, when it runs out. Although most nations now consider climate change a serious problem, they cannot agree on how to tackle it.