COP21

They managed to seal a pact that sets a surprisingly ambitious target for limiting global warming, reflects the vast differences between countries in terms of their different historical and current responsibilities for causing climate change, and recognizes poorer countries’ need to eradicate poverty even as they embark on a more sustainable development path.

Unfortunately, however, the main text of the agreement is long on rhetoric and short on action. Here are seven takeaways from a closer parsing of the deal.

This morning the location and concept behind the much-talked about Red Lines action was announced.

Have you seen Star Trek: First Contact? It’s the one where everyone’s favourite space-faring bald badass Jean-Luc Picard is fighting against the cybernetic Borg, who invade the Enterprise, and begin to assimilate its crew and modify the ship, planning to use it to attack and conquer Earth.

It reminded me of a drawing I’d seen. It was a line drawing showing a young woman emerging from a London underground station right in to the middle of an English woodland. It felt very much like that arriving in the village of alternatives during the Paris climate talks this weekend.