There is a great advert for a tech company that illustrates the challenges of its tasks as a bunch of cowboys trying to herd cats (see below)… which is the analogy that springs to mind when one reads about the challenges of agreeing a global response to climate change, as per the two big shindigs going on at the moment.

As the Economist summarises:

Inside the building, concerns were almost as diffuse. Some thought the most pressing aspect of climate change was rising sea levels; others, the growing intensity of storms and droughts; and others the spread of pests and diseases. Many poor countries felt more money was needed to address the problem; rich ones fretted about a lack of political will and popular enthusiasm. South Africa wanted more “mainstreaming of women and youth”. Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, called capitalism the “worst enemy”. A sheikh from the United Arab Emirates said too vigorous a response to global warming could wreck oil-dependent economies. And President George Bush, not content with the UN event, held his own meeting on climate change on September 27th.