The agenda for this year’s climate summit seems to be settling into two areas. The first is to define the architecture of a definitive plan to reduce global warming. Global warming again is being cited as the premier cause of climate related difficulties. It is now thought that all UN member nations planning to be represented at the conference in Cancun, Mexico. Debate emphasis being placed on a replacement for the Kyoto climate protection treaty which is set to expire in 2012. Rather than attempt to put in place a stronger set of environmental protection protocols, plans are now in place to simply reach an agreement as to what might be the best course of action to reduce carbon emissions. To support the notion of a binding agreement there now exists a plan to simply modify the Kyoto accords.

The second thrust of the Cancun conference may well be to heal derision that resulted in Copenhagen as a result of industrially developed nations unilaterally deciding the fate of developing nations. There exists from certain closed door bargaining sessions a good deal of distrust. This distrust extends to the point where most smaller nations do not believe the worlds wealthier countries will follow through to meet emissions reduction targets.

Indeed most developing nations have come on board to the belief that the world’s financial super powers have in mind a plan to use control of carbon emissions as a means to control their economic status. The European Union has stated firmly that their plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by year 2020. This falls so short of needed goals as to be comical.