After weeks of wrangling, the thousands of officials attending the Paris Climate Conference look to approve a final draft of an agreement that would phase out the use of fossil fuels over the next few decades and transfer trillions of dollars from rich to poor nations to help the latter pay for the effects of global warming. Or enrich the personal bank accounts of third world kleptocrats - take your pick. This is not a treaty. It is a statement of intent from every country on the planet to meet ambitious goals to reduce carbon emissions.  Reuters: From the outset, critics have said the emerging deal had serious weaknesses, most prominently the fact that envisaged emissions cuts will not be enough to keep warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times, the level scientists say is needed to avert the worst effects of warming including severe droughts and rising sea levels. Unlike the Kyoto Protocol, the last major climate deal...(Read Full Post)