World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy says much work remains to be done as negotiators work on climate change agreements. Some have criticized the process of the Copenhagen meeting as cumbersome. But, according to Lamy, procedural difficulties are inevitable when leaders confront problems which are global while remaining accountable largely to domestic politics.
"We are familiar with this in the WTO," Lamy said. "Multilateral processes involve a great many actors and this makes reaching consensus complicated. It is the only process through which we can achieve results which are legitimate and credible."
According to Lamy, the Copenhagen meeting, which ended last Saturday, represents a step forward. The Kyoto Protocol addresses about 30% of global carbon emissions. In contrast, the framework accord hammered out in Copenhagen last week may encompass the majority of world emissions. So far, few details are known about the Copenhagen agreement.
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