I can appreciate Maureen Anderson's difficulty with the Cancun conference. The thought of thousands of people crowding into a Mexican luxury resort, usually at other's expense, to do nothing but talk, is rather offputting.
However, one needs to realise that these people are developing something very new and wonderful – the ability of nations to cooperate in managing this world.
We have only one world, and as Ernest Izett notes in an accompanying letter, the evidence that we are seriously damaging it is becoming quite strong. In the past, when nations had serious disagreements, they fought about them. Although they have not completely stopped doing that, we have not had a world war for nearly 70 years. Instead, we have made enormous efforts to find ways to cooperate. Climate change is a far more complex issue than we have ever had to deal with before, and it is proving very difficult. Copenhagen was a miracle in that it actually brought everyone together, and although there were significant agreements, they were much less than what people hoped for. Cancun broke a major stand-off between the US and China, thanks to the work of our own Tim Groser, but there is still much to be done. We need to be very grateful that nations continue to meet to cooperate, rather than merely fighting for what they consider their rights.
Gray Southon, President
Tauranga Branch - United Nations Association of New Zealand.