Deal Reached in Copenhagen ... And it Looks Like Crap

The first inkling of reports are coming out of Copenhagen that a deal has been reached, but it's looking like it won't be anything to celebrate. It is most definitely not a legally binding agreement either. Don't worry though, it's just the future of the planet on the line.

The Washington Post reports:

The deal provides a means to monitor and verify emissions cuts by developing countries but has less ambitious climate targets than the United States and European governments had initially sought, according to an Obama administration official and other sources familiar with the talks

The official, speaking earlier on condition of anonymity, said a "meaningful agreement was reached" following a multilateral meeting between Obama and the leaders of China, India and South Africa. "It's not sufficient to combat the threat of climate change, but it's an important first step," the official said.

The deal appeared to fall short of even modest expectations for the summit. As part of the agreement -- brokered after a last-minute meeting between Obama and his counterparts from China, India and South Africa -- industrialized and developing nations agreed to list their national actions and commitments in their fight against climate change, while vowing to take action to prevent the Earth's temperature from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius. In addition, they agreed to provide information on the implementation of their actions, which would be subject to international review and analysis.

Just to be clear, "falling short of even modest expectations," is really, really bad.

Matthew McDermott reporting from Copenhagen for Treehugger summed up the immediate reaction thus far: