Politicians are not interested in temperature of the planet, they are taking the temperature of the electorate.
Politicians are not interested in temperature of the planet, they are taking the temperature of the electorate. And before you jump to any conclusions, this is not one of those anti-political class rants. It is merely saying that all these folks gathering in Paris are only interested in what you and I think about what they are doing, not about what the consequences of their decisions may be for global temperatures or anything else. When I get a survey which asks me whether I think that a commitment by Canada to some more aggressive climate change goals by 2020 will "bolster Canada's reputation in the World; lower it, or not make any difference" that tells me that things have become politicized beyond any common sense. The right question to ask was whether I think that actions by Canadian government will make any difference to global climate but that is clearly not what Canadian leadership is interested in - they are interested in their status. And they do so because ...